Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Born in Detroit, Dr McCune studied at the University of Toronto and the California Institute of the Arts before earning a MFA and DMA from Cornell University. Her principal teachers include Steven Stucky, Roberto Sierra, and Mel Powell. Dr McCune’s music continues to gain national and international recognition with performances taking place on stages across North America and Europe.
High Water Rising was originally inspired by David Shumate's poem High Water Mark (2004). The music depicts a great flood: the water rising to record heights, all manner of things being carried away by the current, and the indelible impression the disaster leaves on those who live through it.
Work on the piece began in 2017, shortly after the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The agreement, signed by 195 nations, was an attempt to rally the world in the battle against climate change. With the U.S. being the world’s second largest polluter, Dr McCune’s composition is a call to action.
Born in Detroit, Dr McCune studied at the University of Toronto and the California Institute of the Arts before earning a MFA and DMA from Cornell University. Her principal teachers include Steven Stucky, Roberto Sierra, and Mel Powell. Dr McCune’s music continues to gain national and international recognition with performances taking place on stages across North America and Europe.
High Water Rising was originally inspired by David Shumate's poem High Water Mark (2004). The music depicts a great flood: the water rising to record heights, all manner of things being carried away by the current, and the indelible impression the disaster leaves on those who live through it.
Work on the piece began in 2017, shortly after the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The agreement, signed by 195 nations, was an attempt to rally the world in the battle against climate change. With the U.S. being the world’s second largest polluter, Dr McCune’s composition is a call to action.
