Red Tails of Blue Skies  was commissioned by the Trumpet Educators' Initiative in 2024. It is a programmatic work for trumpet ensemble inspired by red-tailed hawks. The composer began noticing these birds near her home in northern Virginia and became captivated with their flight and movement. Red-tailed hawks have a wide territory, spanning North and Central America. They can be found in virtually every biome, from sandy deserts to urban centers. While such a common bird may not seem spectacular, it is precisely their ubiquity that made the composer decide to use them as the inspiration for this work.

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While the individuals that came together to commission this work live in very different places across the United States, red-tailed hawks can be found in each location. Any performer practicing this work could take a short journey and likely easily find the very creatures that inspired it. Red-tailed hawks may be common birds, but there is a connecting thread within that commonality. The work celebrates the nobility Halco-Haack perceives in the birds, the excitement and intensity of watching them dive to hunt, and the grace with which they soar.