Program Notes

"Flood" synthesizes my anxiety: a flood of emotion during 2020-2021. I have dreams of water, where it's as if this metaphor for emotion becomes literal: flood of emotions actually come close to engulfing me. 

There's a lot of anxiety in this music. Breath is stunted and then returns.

There are visceral responses to the pandemic, our environmental crisis, and to the January 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Fear, anxiety, anger. Anger at white supremacy. Anger at blatant disrespect, at hatred.

In the confinement of the pandemic, we sought relief and we sought to escape. Anxiety held me but I had moments of escape, moments of joy, moments of creativity.

What a beautiful instrument the viola is, to speak all these complicated emotions through. So brash, throaty, and powerful. And the ability to scratch! The ability to scratch, to be suffocated, and finally, to breathe.