I. The Shield of the Heart is the Heart

II. A Ray of Light Through the Crack

III. Love Wins

Program Notes

The piece did not begin with notes, but with words. It was first filled with adjectives and images that captured the atmosphere I wanted to hold - uncertainty, floundering, ambiguity, joy, and embrace.

From these, I shaped the musical materials, spending a long period of revision until even the smallest, most delicate fragments could move me. In each movement, I thought deeply, both intentionally and instinctively, about how these elements weave together and function within a temporal space.