Shifts is a four-minute, single movement composition for orchestra. It is scored for piccolo, flute, Bb clarinet, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two horns, two trumpets, tenor trombone, bass trombone, 3 percussionists, harp, celesta, and strings.
The piece consists of three sections that each present the same musical material in different ways, thus shifting the listener's perspective on the composition. The harmonies and melodies throughout the piece are derived from a 4-13[0136] tetrachord. This pitch collection serves as the foundation which is transformed and developed in the three sections of the piece.
Each section has its own character, shape, and orchestration. The first section primarily consists of three vertical arrival points scored for the full orchestra emphasizing bright timbres, high woodwinds, and rustling string figures. The second section is darker in character and orchestration. The foreground consists of the woodwinds and percussion playing overlapping figures that oscillate between two to three pitches, which is supported by low register swelling chords heard in the strings and brass. The third section returns to some of the brighter timbres heard in the first section. It features rapid, flurrying gestures passing between all members of the woodwinds and a combination of bright timbres from the first section and dark timbres from the second section. The final gesture is an orchestrated swell beginning in the low, dark woodwinds, brass, and strings and ending with the addition of the high woodwinds and strings.