The Magnitude of Verticality

The Magnitude of Verticality was commissioned by BalletCollective in collaboration with choreographer Alysa Pires and visual artist Linn Meyers. In our early conversations, we kept returning to BalletCollective’s theme this year: Echoes of the Invisible. We explored the unseen forces that shape our lives— both literal and metaphorical. These ranged from the microscopic (pathogens, bacteria, atoms) to the technological (AI, digital networks), and to the ineffable effects of history and memory that ripple through the present. From these discussions emerged the idea of gravity: a force so constant and omnipresent that it becomes nearly invisible to us, yet it grounds and defines every movement. For me, this force also became a metaphor for the creative process. Working with Alysa and Linn, I felt an artistic kind of gravity—an anchoring presence of trust and inspiration that is rare for a composer, whose work is often solitary. The music of The Magnitude of Verticality traces gestures shaped by gravity’s pull: swirling, floating, reaching upward, surrendering downward. These musical forms mirror the paradox of living within a force that never changes, while our responses to it—our resistance, acceptance, or flight—are endlessly varied. I am deeply thankful to Alysa for her trust and for choosing to work with me on this special project.