This work was conceived and born of the optimism that came from our collective, societal breath of relief as the country began to see, on the horizon, the first signs that we were going to be emerging out of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Throughout 2020, many of us fought to keep moving forward, having been torn from the people and the activities that were at the cores of our beings. As we began to get some control over COVID, we were able to return to doing those things that we loved and being back with the people most importance to us. These moments, for me, were a weight lifted from my shoulders. As I dove deep into the process of composing this work, it was with a renewed energy, feeling reinvigorated and working towards a goal of something real and in-person. While there seems to be a trend for many composers to focus on dissonances and darker moods in their works, I found myself wanting to look to the light and to the positive. As the piece began to take shape and develop its own life, the title started to define itself: the sense of rising up and overcoming.
