Voices of Influence

The words people say to each other have a profound effect on each of us. I’ve always cared entirely way too much about what other people say to me. It could be a mentor, a friend, a parent, etc. This piece reflects how I feel each and every day when people I care about say anything to me, good or bad. I might seem like I have it together, but I am constantly reading into every word people say to me. I know I shouldn’t, and it often causes me more harm than good, but I am done letting this affect my mental health. Each movement reflects different reactions to different types of words. The 2nd movement of this piece was originally written in 2018 for my good friend Jeffrey Leung when he mentioned that the saxophone repertoire was missing more lyrical works in an age of harder, better, faster, stronger. After he premiered that movement, I always had wanted to extend the work with a movement that truly reflected what I was feeling at the time. The outer movements were written at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020 because another friend, Caleb Shannon, asked for high energy work for alto saxophone and piano. I knew that this piece was the perfect work to give him that and to finally complete this project that I started at the beginning of my time at Michigan State University, which is why I dedicate the work to all my friends in the saxophone studio at Michigan State University. You all inspire me every day, and I know that our time in East Lansing is only the beginning of a life of collaboration and friendship.