Deep Blue

for countertenor and string quartet
ca. 13’00”

Deep Blue (2021) is a piece about the ocean written for countertenor and string quartet. I was particularly drawn to the ocean's "breath". Its overlapping waves and ebbing, flowing tides remind me of its role as the "lungs of the Earth"——absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide and releasing the oxygen that so many living things depend on. This is the foundation on which the piece was built, linking it to the ocean's omnipresence, its connection to all life, and its alarming trajectory towards irreversible damage and death.

Deep Blue was written for Sam Higgins.

Performances:

11 Dec 2021 (world premiere)
Curtis Institute of Music Composers’ Concert
Curtis Institute of Music, PA, USA
Sam Higgins, countertenor; Alexandra Cooreman, Violin I; Lingyu Dong, Violin II; Sofia Gilchenok, Viola; Ania Lewis, Cello