Composed in 2021, Chesapeake Overture is a brief tone poem in five sections. It is inspired by the varied and changeable beauty of the Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake Bay watershed, bordered by six states and the District of Columbia.

The opening section creates impressions of moving water; light sparkling on the waves on a sunny day, as well as the slower pulse of tidal movement. After this evocative opening, the horns establish the rhythm that underlies the subsequent flowing cornet line, the primary melodic theme of the work. The third section depicts the turmoil of a brief passing squall on the darkened bay. The following highly lyrical section, which may be thought of as the emotional heart of the work, suggests “the calm following the storm.” With an energetic, fanfare-like coda section, the work comes to a celebratory and jubilant conclusion.