tes souvenirs (2018)
Flute, Bb Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano
Duration: 6.5’
Premiered by Ensemble Dal Niente on March 29, 2018 at Red Note New Music Festival (Normal, IL). Featured musicians: Laura Cocks (flute), Katie Schoepflin (clarinet), Hanna Hurwitz (violin), Audrey Snyder (cello), Mabel Kwan (piano), Michael Lewanski, conductor.
program note
Tes Souvenirs translates to “your memories.” At once, it concerns both the memories that a single person may have in addition to our memories of other people. A few years ago, a friend of mine passed away from cancer while he was a high school senior. His mother still posts to his Facebook page. He continues to live, in a sense, because the collective memory of him is kept alive. His statuses are still visible, so his own memory of himself persists. I promised to myself that I would keep him alive in my memories. Before writing this piece, I couldn’t get David out of my head; everywhere I walked, images of his laughter and charisma permeated my thoughts. I wanted to bring this phenomenon into the piece itself: a constant melody that circles around itself against the passing of time, obsessively clinging onto its surrounding musical fabric.