A virtuosic solo requiring agility but avoiding the high register. Arpeggios are interspersed with time-suspending glissandi done with hand stopping. Two movements: "Crisp and Cool" and "Aria - Whistling Wind." 

The composer writes:

"When I wrote Colored Leaves, I was thinking about all the virtuosic unaccompanied literature that usually ended on a screaming high C, sometimes higher. Since I play the horn, but don't really have a strong high C, I wanted to provide a musically interesting alternative for horn players that didn't emphasize the high register. Although difficult, Colored Leaves avoids this gesture, making the piece suitable for players who specialize in low horn. "

The coloristic effects include hand glissandi, stopped, half-stopped, and muted passages. In the beginning of Whistling Wind, the player can choose between using the hand or the mute to achieve a gentle, distant sound.

Composed in 1994, Cynthia Carr selected it as a student competition requirement at the Southeast Horn Workshop in Newark, Delaware in 1996.

Duration approximately 6'