Hey everyone, it’s been … awhile.
Like many of you, 2020 threw me for a bit of a loop. The pieces I’d been working on were put on hold. The ensembles I was working with suspended their seasons. Even the choral music I’d planned for later in the year was derailed by the simple fact that singing in proximity with other people was, suddenly and shockingly, a dangerous activity.
I was overjoyed when Ann Bobo, Boston Musica Viva’s flautist, asked if I’d write something for one of her star pupils. This student—Alicia Kim—plays expressively, earnestly, and with tremendous technical skills, and writing for her has been a wonderful experience.
As you might imagine, all of this has been handled over Zoom. And the premiere, coming later this spring, will almost certainly be virtual.
But making music again—getting to work on something, getting to bring it into the world in collaboration with others—has been such an energizing feeling. So thank you Ann, Alicia, and everyone else making music during these bizarre times. This piece is for you, in every imaginable way.
