Commissioner:
Salastina Sounds Promising Program 2025
Duration:
12 min
Movements:
I Night at Vanguard
II West Village
III Pigeons
Program Note:
I Night at Vanguard
Young girls crashed right into the door of Village Vanguard, sucking up all the kaleidoscopic
night lights beneath the club’s signature red awning. Their laughter pierced directly into the bar, making
the pile of cocktail glasses dance. The evening turned the musicians’ palms all golden. In the neon colors
and never-ending rhythms, New Yorkers were yelling and screaming like crazy.
II West Village (shown above)
Standing on the streets of lower Manhattan, I remember my teenage body holding two overweight
suitcases and feeling the sirens whipping me into sorrowful pieces. For a second, I no longer remembered
what a street looked like in my birthplace. I sent a picture to my mom saying that I could handle
everything on my own. That was the first time I lied to her in this country.
III Pigeons
Peck…peckpeck…peck! —Pigeons eating leftover pizza on Fifth Avenue.
Awards:
Arizona Flute Society Composition Competition Winner, 2026
LunART Festival Call for Scores Winner, 2026
