Program Note:

You Through Me is a song about the Elizabeth Street Garden in SoHo, NY.

It is a story about how a physical place is linked with our experiences and memories of it. Beloved by area residents, the Elizabeth Street Garden draws over 125,000 visitors a year. In 2021, city officials announced a plan to build affordable housing on the site—a noble goal, but one that would destroy the garden. This dichotomy between who the space belongs to and what thoughts, emotions, and experiences we impress upon that place (and places in general) is at the heart of this piece. To express this concept more deeply, I chose to tell the story of the garden from the perspective of the garden itself; it observes, wonders, and at times, pleads, just as we do as humans.

*A version of “You Through Me” for choir + piano is also available.

Lincoln

Program Note:

Lincoln is a reflection on the power of the individual. It explores the idea that change is not linear but gradual, and infused with an extreme amount of personal courage. This non-linear nature of change is embedded into the structure of the composition, for the setting of the text was crafted in a way that would reflect the overall affect of the poetry itself. Through the reiteration of each line of text, it is almost as though the repetition empowers the individual to continue on to the next line. It isn’t until the very end when the entire poem is recited in its purest form, ending the composition on a feeling of unity and togetherness.

Exodus

Program Note:

Exodus was written for The Crossing as part of their “Carols After the Plague” series. For this project, I was asked to compose a personal “carol” in response to a “plague”.

Growing up Jewish, I did not feel a personal connection with the word “carol”. I did, however, have a connection with the word “plague”. The Old Testament is riddled with them, and I couldn’t help but draw a line between the plagues in the bible and the current plagues we face in our society. I found myself returning to the Mi Chamocha (Exodus 15:1-18): a prayer that was sung at the end of the Passover story directly after the Jews escaped Egypt. It is a love poem to God and it begins with a rhetorical question: “Who is like you, O God...” To me, I did not see this as a rhetorical question but one of deep complication with my faith. This small phrase became the fertile ground for me to ask further questions. I wanted to take the grandiosity of that phrase and distill it into a child-like curiosity intertwined with uncertainty.