Full Circle: Turtle Wisdom by Oregon composer and percussionist Terry Longshore draws its inspiration from his 2021 hour-long composition for large solo gong, This Moment In Time, and renowned artist Betty LaDuke’s series, Turtle Wisdom. It is performed by a gong orchestra, in which at least six and up to an unlimited number of members, each with their own gong, interpret one of Betty LaDuke’s Turtle Wisdom series of artworks, guided by a text- and time-based score composed by Longshore.

LaDuke’s Turtles explore themes of personal, political, and playful nature. Emerging from the pandemic in 2021, LaDuke states that “TURTLES became my symbolic storytellers, commenting on the events currently reshaping our lives.”

The performers utilize a plethora of implements and techniques to produce a seemingly endless array of sounds from their instruments. Spatialized throughout the performance space, the audience is encircled by sounds of nature, by the gongs’ captivating voices, and by LaDuke’s dynamic artworks. The composition is composed in a way that allows anyone to participate, regardless of musical or percussive experience. A pre-performance workshop provides participants with instruction on performance practice and score interpretation.

The compositional structure of Full Circle: Turtle Wisdom is inspired by the lunar calendar and numerous Indigenous peoples’ belief that turtles' shells symbolize the 13 lunar cycles. The central area of the upper shell (carapace) displays 13 larger scutes, each representing a lunar month. Additionally, the encircling smaller scutes total 28, corresponding to the days in a lunar cycle. The numbers 13 and 28 are used in rhythmic sections of the composition, alternating with more lyrical and textural sections highlighted by the playing techniques.