Ensemble: pierrot ensemble with found percussion

Written: spring 2025

Duration: ca. 7’

Premiered: 6/7/2025

Program Note

Con (n.) - a dishonest trick used to gain someone’s confidence

Con (v.) - to deceive or trick

Con (n.) - convict

Con (adv.) - on the negative side

Con (v.) - to commit to memory

Con (v.) - to conduct or direct the steering of (a vessel, such as a ship)*

The word con has several meanings, all of them I find intriguing. CON/FIND is an exploration of not only the multiple meanings of the word con but also the broader ideas of confinement and the search for—and illusion of—an escape. One definition—to commit to memory—stood out to me. Separate from all others, this one seems to be intentional, even neutral. Yet, with this piece, I focus on the certain memories we are forced to "commit" to—memories we can’t seem to escape. This piece narrates a paradox: how we try to steer our minds out of certain memories or try to fix them to find relief or resolution yet remain stuck or even worse off. In this piece, new ideas are "found" frequently, yet they never fully develop nor do they have a chance to finish without being interrupted. It’s an illustration of the fragility of coping, an often temporary means of relieving. I implemented found percussion in this piece—primarily metal objects—to evoke sounds of confinement and being held back—as if chained. It also introduces chaos: a frantic drive to escape without a clear path nor a permanent solution in sight—a desperate motivation to follow a seemingly pleasant yet secretly unstable motif.

*Definitions sourced from Merriam-Webster Dictionary