I said these words almost two years ago (video below). I had no idea just how tightly I'd have to hold on to these very beliefs in order to write the piece I just finished. I said those words before my piece, Eternity in an Hour, was performed. However, these words are even more applicable to the piece I just wrote that is in response to what happened at Stoneman Douglas High School, titled I will lament and love. The piece is a lament, but also a display of hope. I've included 17 short solos throughout the work to draw attention to the individuals who lost their lives.

When you sing through suffering (whether through the human voice or giving voice to an instrument through human breath), that means hope is alive. A lament can hold the saddest melody, but if that melody is sung then hope is present.

I was approached in February about writing this piece and we are at the end of that process. The Ohio State University Wind Symphony generously recorded the piece as soon as I finished the work. I am so glad to have been a part of such a thoughtful process.