living is the journey of answering (2024)

Instrumentation: Vibraphone, Fixed Media

Duration: 6’

I began writing this piece around my 10 year graduation anniversary from UNC-Pembroke. As I thought back to my time at UNCP, in addition to the wonderful friends and colleagues I built relationships with, I was reminded of the time I spent walking around campus and thinking about life. Undergrad is a time of transition. As you're learning who you are and how to navigate the world as an adult and professional, there are so many questions and doubts that you grapple with. Will I be successful? What will my life look like 10 years from now? Will I be able to accomplish all the things that I want to? For me, the Water Feature in front of the Livermore Library was a place I often found myself thinking about these questions and planning my future. I'd often stop there before or after evening practices in Moore Hall. As I think back on this time — now 10 years later — my life is nothing like what I imagined it would be and I still don't have the answers to most of these questions. But what I know now is that life isn't about the answers themselves, its about the journey of asking and seeking. If I could tell my Undergrad self one thing, it'd be to worry less about getting things right and enjoy the journey of discovering. When Dr. Van Hassel, music department chair at UNCP, approached me about writing a piece for him, I felt this would be the perfect idea to explore. I hope that this piece is a reminder to us all that living is the journey of answering.

Premiere Performance TBA

Perusal Score

Purchase Available in Spring 2025