Future Caprices

Introducing yourself as a “composer" in the 21st century is a strange experience. For people outside of the concert music world, they often ask questions like, “Those still exist?” (we do) or “Aren’t composers dead?” (not all) or “Which instrument do you write for?” (more than one).  After decades of declining ticket sales and increasing isolation from general society, it makes sense that people are confused by my occupation. In this atmosphere, what is the future of classical music? Will it be seen as a beautiful, but antiquated art form, something that should be preserved like a painting in a museum? Or will it transform into something new, that remains current and changing, as it has in earlier eras?

 In “Future Caprices”, I reflect on the future of concert music. I picture sounds that are engaging, beautiful, and challenging, with turns and changes that are as rapid as the world of instant gratification that it will inhabit. The piece is in one movement, divided into sections of mechanical, driving rhythms that contrast with nuanced, lyrical writing.