Flaxen Tresses is a short fantasia on Claude Debussy’s piano prelude La fille aux cheveux de lin (Girl with the Flaxen Hair) for concert band. The simple pentatonic arpeggiated melody is transformed into a bold fanfare depicting an imaginary retro-futurist cityscape of golden light and steel spires. Densely layered textures give way to a tranquil central adagio that highlight Debussy’s rich linear harmonies and textures. Building rhythmic intensity and heavy ostinati utilizing parallel fourths and fifths portray flying automobiles racing on aerial highways. Finally, a chorale-like statement of the opening melody presented in layered canons leads to a massive cadence as we zoom out to see the full majesty of our imaginary metropolis. This work was commissioned by the Civitas Consortium Project and is dedicated to composer Timothy Mahr who has been a continual source of inspiration.