Submitted Photo Efrain Amaya wrote his latest work, "The four seasons in North Dakota," to fit the lyrics written by his wife, Susana Amundarain.

When the North Dakota Council on the Arts was asking for projects to support, Efrain Amaya had the idea to write music for lyrics about North Dakota’s four seasons, written by his wife, Susana Amundarain.

Implementing the idea and the theme of home in North Dakota, Amundarain wrote the lyrics to 12 individual songs for the seasons. Summer contains three songs, fall has two, winter has four and spring holds three.

“They’re more like love letters to her mother, to tell her how things are here and change,” Amaya said of his wife’s lyrics.

The original series is titled “The four seasons in North Dakota.”

The spring cycle of songs is more upbeat, but Amaya said that does not necessarily mean winter is gloomy.

The season Amaya enjoys most in North Dakota is summer.

“I think they’re the greatest ever,” Amaya said. “Even when it’s very cold, there’s always light. It’s sunny, open skies.”

Amaya, his wife and their son moved to Minot from Pittsburgh nine years ago when he took the position as maestro with Minot Symphony Orchestra.

He also prefers Minot over Pittsburgh, with its often overcast skies and humid winters, because he no longer has to spend one hour traveling home from work.

“They joke about the commute to work, but it’s great that everything is so close,” Amaya said.

However, shoveling snow of any weight is something he finds unfavorable, especially digging his car out of the garage after a snowstorm.

Despite the six-month-long winters, Amaya said he and his family plan to stay in North Dakota for a while, and he does not intend to stop composing music any time soon.

The number of compositions Amaya has written is in the 100s — more than he is able to count.

Amaya will conduct the premiere of his original series of pieces in “The four seasons in North Dakota” at a symphony performance on Saturday, April 27, at Minot State University, with soprano Bethany Jelinek singing the lyrics.