Becoming (2023) a micro-opera for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and chamber ensemble

To describe my experience living with a degenerative muscle disease, I often use the metaphor of “an intimate relationship with decay.” I feel this describes the emotional complexity and depth, as well as the honesty and compassion I must exercise with my body as it changes. Becoming actualizes this relationship between the self and decay, portrayed as a conversation between two close friends, Aspen and Aurelius. Together, they discuss intricate truths of life—the simultaneity of growth and deterioration, the constancy of decay amidst change, cyclicality—and draw connections between life and artistic processes to assist in digesting the nature of existence. An emphasis on fragile sounds opens the poetic space, and a spectrum of vocal colors guides the narrative.