Stephen Lias always has music on his mind. He’s the Dean's Circle Endowed Professor Of Composition at Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.  Lias is also an outdoor kind of guy. 

Over the years, he’s composed music for a variety of national parks either on commission or just because.  Now he’s been named Washington State’s Mount Rainier National Park’s first-ever composer in residence. His composition will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the park but it won't premiere until sometime in 2026.