December Reflections (Composer’s Version)

Every compositional process is unique, and that’s why I love it! I try to create special moments that immerse me in the subject / theme for an experience that only the piece and I understand. For pieces I’m crafting, there’s a lot of reading, a lot of podcast listening while knitting, a lot of reflective driving. I’m beginning to learn that cross-stitching and knitting promotes reflective thinking while encouraging stillness and patience.

As an only child, moments escaping to a world of pure imagination (heheh) was often times a required survival mechanism. So, taking time to immerse myself in creative research (however that reveals itself) is a practice in honouring and preserving Young Tracy - the quietly excited, curious, eager, and knowledge-hungry nerd who anthropomorphized almost everything around her.

(I have a tune about a lonely pierogi on the kitchen table.)

BUT a creative person requires a key to get to imaginationland! For me, inspiration comes from the commissioning choral organizations and their amazing artistic directors / conductors who have brilliant, thoughtful, and purposeful ideas in service of their choral communities. Thank you for trusting me with new music for your singers.

For this round of commissions that are on the brink of being “birthed”, I’m also super excited to collaborate with wonderful folks who have agreed to be poets/lyricists: Joey Gianan Vargas on a couple of pieces about fantastical beasts from our cultures, Bihzhu about our connection with nature, and Kitbielle Pasagui on a piece about a beautiful topic I can’t reveal at the moment 😂!

Stay tuned for updates! In the meantime, I wish you the kind of December that you need for your body, mind, heart, and soul.

Sincerely,

Tracy