Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in B♭, 2 bassoons, C tin whistle, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, timpani, percussion (tubular bells, bass drum, tam-tam), harp, strings

Premiered November 1 and 2, 2025 with the Santa Cruz Symphony
Daniel Stewart, conductor

As a composer, I often ask myself, “Why am I writing this piece?” In my mind, works usually fall into one of two categories — abstract music without a story, or programmatic works. Both are equally valid approaches, though I find programmatic music to have the most emotional impact on me. However, a gray area appears when a work written without a story evokes one, or when a piece has a story which is not explicitly stated. Voices was written to tell a personal story of mine, from the perspective of me beginning my senior year of high school — the time I wrote the first draft. The piece contains melodies quoting and inspired by some meaningful tunes to me, which are Addie Harper’s Barrowburn reel that appears in the first movement and the traditional Irish slip jig Kid on the Mountain in the second. Another meaningful melodic inspiration in the second movement is “By Your Side.” by Pedro Silva from the video game Omori. In retrospect, after graduating high school and finishing a year of conservatory, this piece to me deals with the difficulties of change and the process of acceptance, as I have since been distanced from the original narrative. While it may be through the compositional lens of me in August of 2023, I hope my audience reflects on what this piece may mean to them, as my narrative is always changing.

1. Lost

2. Quiet

Excerpt from the second movement at the world premiere