Shoveling Clouds was started on a grey, misty morning and is dedicated to Clara Ziane, a student from France who studied folk guitar with the composer. Beauvais composed it to introduce Ziane to American folk styles, using Travis picking — named after Merle Travis — to create an alternating bass line with a light syncopated feel. The title comes from a fictional detective in Fred Vargas's novels: Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, frequently called a cloud shoveler for his unorthodox approach to solving cases.William Beauvais combines a mastery of his instrument with a devotion to composition. His music is played around the world, and as a guitarist he won first prizes at the Canadian Music Competition and the World Centre For Guitar in Martinique. He has taught at the University of Windsor, Queen's University, and York University (since 1996), and was a faculty member of the Royal Conservatory of Music from 1980 to 2010. He is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre.
