I find some of the most interesting poems to set to music simply (or not so simply) by looking through existing works in the literature. Though I cherish my outsider’s identity and wear it like a badge of honor, working with the same source material that composers have used decades and sometimes hundreds of years in the past creates a powerful connection and a kind of invisible camaraderie with those who came before. And let’s face it, how many professions provide you with this opportunity, to use and manipulate the same materials with little technological improvements to speak of (i.e., pencil, paper, piano)?
Loosely translated as The Migrants’ Farewell, this piece was written during a time when the political and cultural climate against immigrants was accelerating at an alarming rate. In an ironic twist, our family found ourselves temporary without a home when we were evacuated due to the deadly 2017 Atlas Fire soon after I began working on the piece. We were lucky, but the plight of countless individuals separated from their families and loved ones is heartbreaking and causes irreparable damage. This work give voice to this sense of loss.