The young men gather in the woods, curious about using the weed wrench—a sturdy long-handled contraption resembling a modified car jack. One by one, they maneuver the jaws of the wrench around the trunk of a woody shrub, not yet in bloom. They set the fulcrum on level ground, pull down the long handle, and yank the shrub out by the roots.
Another pesky Scotch Broom bites the dust.
The young men, all teenagers, are part of a dedicated group—not just as landscapers for the day, but as musicians enrolled in a composition class.
Mark Vance has been teaching young composers how to craft and create a piece of music for over 20 years. His program, which has operated under several umbrellas, is now run again by the Nevada County Composers Cooperative where it originated years ago.
While the students study instrumentation, harmony, history, notation and music theory in class, each year they venture out and join forces with a local non-profit. In the past, they’ve engaged with the Community Asian Theatre (CATS), Animal Place Sanctuary, Hospitality House, CalFire and Sierra Harvest to name a few. And in 2025, they’ve collaborated with the Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT), basing their compositions on the landscape.
True to their mission, all told, BYLT has protected over 25,000 acres of land in the Bear Yuba Watershed, mainly through conservation easements. And as part of their stewardship program, the Land Trust also maintains land held in Preserves around the region. To keep these 4,000+ acres healthy, they’ve set an ambitious schedule of volunteer workdays known as Projects on the Preserves (POPs)—which explains the uprooting of Scotch Broom.
Scotch Broom, easily recognized by its bright yellow flowers, is an aggressive invasive species. It crowds out native plants, reduces biodiversity, and limits food sources for wildlife and nesting sites for birds—all reasons enough to remove as many as possible, which is a never-ending task.
The students worked on two preserve projects this spring. They pulled Scotch Broom, removed dead wood and gathered brush to add to the burn pile while on both Wildflower Ridge, located neat Rough and Ready Highway, and the Adam Ryan Preserve off of Dog Bar.
This was their second visit to Adam Ryan, having worked there last fall to help reintroduce native plants to the landscape. The students and other volunteers planted 500 shrubs, trees and flowers, including goldenrod, narrowleaf milkweed, spice bush, Ceanothus (California lilac), flannel bush, redbud, elderberry and blue oaks.
The students also spent an afternoon walking along the Cascades Canal, which runs along Red Dog all the way to Gracie. The Land Trust received a grant to so some major clearing and chipping in the area so there was freshness to the landscape on the day of their walk. Lots of lush greenery and mottled sunshine through the trees. Plus, brand new interpretive panels had been installed along the trail describing the flora and fauna—the animals, birds, plants and trees that make up the habitat.
The Cascade Canal Trail and the Projects on the Preserves led the composers to write instrumental pieces reflecting their experiences. Ari Cook’s “Eventide”—a quintet for piano, 2 violins, viola and cello—is an evocative piece bringing to mind a late afternoon walk with the sun low in the sky, presenting the sense of a still life,
“Spring Trails” by Henry Krautkramer is scored for flute, violin, cello and piano, and while the cello serves more of a bass line, the flute and violin are engaged in a melodic back and forth dialog. “A Day in the Land Trust” by Jaxon English is a trio for French horn, cello and piano. It sounds like a cross between classical chamber music and the sound track for a movie. And Asher Lee’s “Rooted Deep” for piano, violin and cello may have started with pulling Scotch Broom, but it also can be interpreted metaphorically, suggesting someone deeply committed to conservation.
These compositions and more will be performed in concert by professional musicians on Friday evening, June 20, 7pm, at the Trabucco Ranch, Linden Lea, on the outskirts of Nevada City off of Bitney Springs Road. Linden Lea is a perfect setting for music inspired by the Bear Yuba Land Trust because Bill and Anna Trabucco set up a conservation easement on their 760 acre property in 2001. The easement restricts any residential development and will keep their land open for ranching and farming forever.
Linden Lea is definitely off the beaten path but it’s worth the trek. As you drive down a narrow gravel route, you pass grazing cattle and a vineyard, spotting an occasional eighth-note sign posted on the roadside before arriving at the concert site, ready to relax and listen to music. The June 20 concert will feature 8 new compositions written by the young composers, whose creativity knows no bounds.
Again, it’s well worth the trek.
For information & directions, go to: www.composerscooperative.info
Julie Becker has been an ardent supporter of the Young Composers program for many years.