In the early stages of writing this piece, I thought about the power and meaning behind every little detail in any form of art. In music, each sound may have a deep emotional and symbolic meaning behind it. Likewise, the visual arts hold meaning behind the decisions of color usage, framing, blending, and poetry derives meaning from word choice, context, and auditory aesthetics.

There are many connections between spoken language and music. Both mediums use sound as the method of delivery, and concepts such as phrasing, inflection, volume, and timbre can greatly influence the message being conveyed. I selected “Towering” as the title for this piece because of its ambiguity; to me, the word implies an observation of something intimidating, immense, and destructive, but the exact subject matter remains open to interpretation.

While composing this work, I drew inspiration from the emotions and sights I experienced while occasionally needing to shelter from severe weather during the three years I lived in Oklahoma. During these weather events, I almost certainly knew I was going to be completely safe, but I clearly remember the feeling of foreboding and sense of worry I felt for all affected people. I invite performers and audience members to craft their own interpretations based on their personal experiences inspired from reflecting on the title and the music.

Towering was commissioned by a consortium of the following individuals and ensembles:

Ako2: Aj Nguyen and Abraham Nunez

*Consortium directors

Bia Duo: Brianna Buck and Alexis Seah-Fritz

Kevin Barton and Ethan Roberts

University of Oklahoma

Lundyn Englund and Joshua Mithuen

University of Oklahoma

Michael Novay and Tyler Thompson

Central Michigan University

John and Mary Nichol

Central Michigan University