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A Thread of Hope (2020)
PREMIERE April 21, 2022 Morris, MN OTHER PERFORMANCES July 11, 2023 Interlochen, MI DURATION 7' |
PROGRAM NOTES
Humanity is obsessed with “stuff.” We are fixated with getting new stuff – the newest phone, the latest book/movie/game, the most fashionable clothes. And yet at the exact same time we are preoccupied with getting rid of stuff – living minimally, cleaning out closets, Marie Kondo-ing our belongings, and most dangerously to the planet, throwing away single-use plastics. Single-use plastics like straws, plastic bags, water bottles, and wipes not only pollute our oceans and land, but also contribute to rising levels of heat-trapping gasses from their production to when they are thrown out. A Thread of Hope begs us to continue being obsessed with stuff: obsessed with how we treat the stuff we accumulate and mindfully reuse the things we already have, recycle the things we won’t use anymore, and reduce and refuse the things we bring into our lives to begin with. Musically, nature is represented by a single E – the Thread –, resounding over and over again. E can mostly be found throughout the piece, but sometimes it’s hard to find, sometimes it’s distorted into an Eb, and sometimes it’s gone from our ears completely as more and more notes – more stuff – are added. The additional weight of notes and humanity’s plastic waste is lot for a fragile thread of nature to sustain. Ultimately, A Thread of Hope asks us to consider how we can save Planet Earth from the harm humanity’s baggage has caused her.
Humanity is obsessed with “stuff.” We are fixated with getting new stuff – the newest phone, the latest book/movie/game, the most fashionable clothes. And yet at the exact same time we are preoccupied with getting rid of stuff – living minimally, cleaning out closets, Marie Kondo-ing our belongings, and most dangerously to the planet, throwing away single-use plastics. Single-use plastics like straws, plastic bags, water bottles, and wipes not only pollute our oceans and land, but also contribute to rising levels of heat-trapping gasses from their production to when they are thrown out. A Thread of Hope begs us to continue being obsessed with stuff: obsessed with how we treat the stuff we accumulate and mindfully reuse the things we already have, recycle the things we won’t use anymore, and reduce and refuse the things we bring into our lives to begin with. Musically, nature is represented by a single E – the Thread –, resounding over and over again. E can mostly be found throughout the piece, but sometimes it’s hard to find, sometimes it’s distorted into an Eb, and sometimes it’s gone from our ears completely as more and more notes – more stuff – are added. The additional weight of notes and humanity’s plastic waste is lot for a fragile thread of nature to sustain. Ultimately, A Thread of Hope asks us to consider how we can save Planet Earth from the harm humanity’s baggage has caused her.