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Unfurl
wind ensemble Duration: 6 mins Grade 5 Katherine Bergman Music © 2026 Unfurl is written for and dedicated to Minnesota Winds in celebration of the ensemble's inaugural season. As co-founder of the organization, I have had the privilege of watching Minnesota Winds grow from a simple conversation between longtime friends into a courageous work in progress, and now into a thriving artistic community.
That journey brings to mind one of my favorite plants — and one of Minnesota’s most joyful harbingers of spring — the fiddlehead fern. The tightly coiled young fronds of the ostrich fern are among the first flashes of green to emerge after a long winter. Patiently preparing beneath the soil, they suddenly appear and grow with remarkable determination: from a compact spiral of miniature leaves, to a tall stem crowned with its distinctive curled head, and finally unfurling into a brilliant fractal canopy of shimmering green. After a spring rain, their growth can seem almost miraculous — look away for a few hours, and they are inches taller. In many ways, I have experienced Minnesota Winds following a similar trajectory: beginning as a fledgling idea, steadily building roots and community, emerging first as a chamber winds ensemble, and now blossoming into a full concert band performing on Minnesota’s most prestigious stage. The music traces the image of the fern unfurling. It begins underground, with the ensemble’s lowest instruments quietly rumbling with anticipation before gradually stretching upward, expanding, and opening into something vibrant, expansive, and alive. Premiered May 30, 2026 by Minnesota Winds with Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor
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