Facades (2014)

Program Notes:

This piece was written for the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra. At the time, I was still a student at the university and still in the earliest explorations of composition – I had studied formally for only three years. You can hear the composers I highly regarded and who heavily, and inevitably, influenced my style. Facing a turning point in my path, I was feeling the weight of life-changing decisions while also becoming more aware of the world around me. This angsty combination yielded this piece and the following note from the time it was written:

In order to see clearly inside or through an object, one must first see past or remove any barriers between them and that object. These necessary barriers are fortified to protect and defend and yet, at some point they will crumble. The result is a brief, candid look at the vulnerable and unstable interior before these barriers are, once again, quickly replaced.