i. on the precipice, eyes skyward (5:00)

ii. pebbles (1:30)

iii. seafoam on sandstone (5:30)

Instrumentation: violin, flute + piano

Duration: 11:00‍

Year: 2024

This work was commissioned by Salastina’s Composers’ Collective

About the work:

The idea for this piece came to me at a viewpoint along Point Mendocino Trail on the Northern California coast. Standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, I felt the sky rising above me from the rock face and stretching toward the horizon to meet the sea, while the waves lapped against the cliffs below to complete a loop of interconnectedness. That moment made me think about perspective, and the way distance allows us to see connections that are invisible from within them.

Looking back on my life, I can trace the paths that connect moments of triumph, uncertainty, and loss, and see how they led me to where I am today. But at the time, each moment felt isolated. Like standing at the base of the cliff or out on the water, I couldn't yet see where everything met.

I translated this idea of perspective into music by writing in the extreme high and low registers of each instrument, evoking the vast distance between the sky overhead and the ocean far below. Each movement is inspired by a different image from that viewpoint. i. on the precipice, eyes skyward captures the sky stretching toward the horizon where it meets the sea. ii. pebbles is a brief, playful interlude following a single pebble as it tumbles through the rocks and succulents before disappearing into the ocean below. iii. sea foam on sandstone depicts blue-green waves swirling and crashing against the cliffs. As the water surges upward against the rock face, the music carries the listener's gaze back toward the sky, bringing the piece full circle.