It was definitely a lot of her playfulness, wit and fire that I tried to put into the piece. She was such a great supporter of the arts, so I wanted to do something to reflect that energy she had.

It's a big step in fire communications ? the biggest upgrade that's been undertaken in at least 25 years.

The roof was being worked on and the fire began on the roof. That's what we know.

The Chicago Fire Department has ruled the cause of the fire undetermined. The amount and type of flammables within the structure make it difficult to determine what did or did not contribute to the start and spread of the fire. If new information becomes available, the department will review its findings.

My piece is definitely neo-classical, it very much recalls Stravinsky and others of that style, which is one of the reasons I think it fit for the program. The dance-like rhythms from the Boyce and Albinoni, you'll hear in my piece, just with a bit wider harmonic palette.

The novel really has nothing to do with the piece, but the title just fit.