Premiere

Hub New Music – April 5, 2021

Program Note

Still, in the Middle emerges from a season in which I’ve been learning to hold two opposing forces in tension rather than seeking resolution. A person I admire and respect can also be deeply flawed; a single day can bring both wonderful and terrible news; love for someone provides deep, abiding joy, even during the agony of losing them. My tendency has been to try to weigh both sides and let one win out. Now, however, I am learning to come to peace with both coexisting. Composing in the winter, when the landscape outside my window is frozen and quiet, I imagine nature gently suggesting that I be still, resting in the middle instead of being pulled in either direction. Through shifting sonorities and delicate lines, Still, in the Middle invites the listener to rest in the tension, resisting the urge to move one way or the other.

              Still, in the Middle was written for Hub New Music.