program notes

I wrote the optimist in 2022 for the Innovative Flutist “What IF…” call for scores. It depicts a character that we all know: that person who hasn’t had it easy, but just keeps looking up. It’s a reminder that optimism is not always pleasant—it is persistence in the mourning.

i wrote the optimist for my mom. there are a lot of good optimists in the world but this piece is for her.

the optimist was awarded the first prize in the professional flute category of the 2022 What IF... call for scores. It was premiered in the spring of 2023 by James Brinkmann and Jemal Tavadze.