Composer's Note: The idea for this piece came to me following sustained research in queer theory and the AIDS crisis. I found myself fascinated by the mutability of identity and the impact of accumulated histories on the way one lives their day to day life: how does one forge their own space in a community, and how do communities become coalitions united through individuality and difference? you echo in me explores these questions through the orchestra, figured as its own community, a musical microcosm of difference in not only the union of various instrument families, with players trained to blend and commit to the singular goal of the ensemble, but also in the musical situation of different humans gathering in a space to work together, thus overcoming difference through collectivity. As the title suggests, you echo in me uses echoes as its primary expressive language. I imagined what might happen if different parts of the orchestra were contained by glass cloches, forming a variety of echo chambers, each with different rules and behaviors. In some cases, musical materials reverberate as near exact replicas, displaced in time. Other situations hear the echo coming undone, with melodies falling apart as they are passed across the ensemble. Melodies are the backbone of this work, and through layering and counterpoint, generate the harmonic language of the entire piece. The result is music that is far more horizontal than vertical, with every gesture pointing towards the future. The piece opens with a game of catch, as the melody is handed off rapidly between players. At first, doubling occurs at the perfect unison, challenging the ensemble to work together to create one long, seamless line. Microtonal trills and subtle pitch bends erode the unison line, and in doing so draw attention to the minute differences and imperfections of unison playing. Gradually, these gestures grow into larger bends and wider trills, with rhythmic and temporal variations transforming melodic lines into smears of clouds, bursts, splatters, and sparkles. It is my hope that this piece can demonstrate a utopia of shared ideals enacted by coalitions of difference that celebrate the value of the individual within the collective. We are all the results of our own histories, and the histories that we inherit. I echo in you, and you echo in me.
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