“This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless, 
Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the themes
thou lovest best,
Night, sleep, death, and the stars.”

“A Clear Midnight” by Walt Whitman

I have always been a night owl, for as long as I can remember. I do my best thinking, my most effective practice, and my most creative endeavors at nighttime, with the opulent light of the moon to illuminate. I think there are actually several thousand pictures of the moon that I have attempted to capture. No lens or technology can encapsulate the beauty of nighttime quite the way that the human eye does, and so I intended to create a sonic experience as an ode to the magnificent darkness. 

Our program begins with Bach’s Erbarme Dich, mein Gott, complimented by Mozart’s Abendempfindung, both, a great cry for mercy as death and night are imminent. We move forward to the Fêtes galantes as a more whimsical take on nighttime amidst an effervescent and mysterious musical atmosphere. The glimmering pianistic mood paired with the enchanting texts set by Debussy add a bit of magic present in the night air. The first half of the program is completed by Verdi’s Ad una Stella, a love letter to the stars. 

The return to the second half of the program takes on a darker tone, just as darkness ebbs through the hours. The Strauss pieces are taken from his Letze Blätter, or Last Pages. Both take on images of death; Die Nacht depicting the draining of color and thus, life. Allerseelen, or All Souls Day, is an homage to the November 2nd holiday honoring the lives of loved ones past. As love is lost in the Strauss songs, we move onto Song to the Moon, where Rusalka begs the moon to return her love to her. This set draws to a close with Medtner’s Twilight as we sink into virtuosic sleep. The final pieces and the height of the dream belong to Bernstein—Two Love Songs, a playful and fiery serenade as light, day, and life return once again. 

There are exactly one million and twelve “thank you”’s that I need to share, but I’ll keep it brief for this moment. I would like to thank my family and friends for believing in me and sitting through performance after performance with open hearts and ears. To every single teacher I have, past and present, thank you for helping me find my voice. To Jean Lin, thank you for taking on this insane program and sharing your profound artistry with me and our audience. To James Newsome, for, quite literally, being my sounding board, fount of knowledge, and my dearest friend. To my partner, Tyler, thank you for supporting me and working so hard for our little family; I could not and would not do this life without you. And finally, to my son, Jude, you are everything to me, and I hope you always know how loved you are!