Maps (2017)
Open Instrumentation
Duration: 5-20’
Maps is an improvisation piece for open instrumentation. Inspired by the poem “Maps” by Yesenia Montilla, the piece is broken into four sections, marked by a quote from the poem. Each section portrays a step in the process of what could happen when we remove borders we allow to define us. The A section features two clusters divided by middle C. It reflects the tension and limitations boundaries can create. In the B section, middle C displaced in lower and higher octaves, allowing the clusters to move more freely, and even interact with each other. This gesture changes the relationship the pitches have with one another, a representation of the change in interaction people encounter when barriers are displaced or shifted. In the C section, the C, or border, is completely removed, allowing the clusters to interact with each other with total freedom. Lastly, in the D section all the pitches coalesce into a singular wash of sound and then fades away.