$20
Duration: 12 to 14 min.
Instrumentation: Piano
Commission/Dedication: to José and Dolce
Program Notes:
Hero explores the stages of being a hero as I see it:
In my eyes, a true hero is a reluctant one. They don't want to be a hero, but feel obligated—pressured even—to answer the summoning of some voice, some calling that beckons at them through the wind. The hero knows, deep down, they are the only ones with the power to do something about the adversity that threatens the balance of life.
This piece explores the inner conflict I figure a hero inevitably battles, to include the arrival of the villain and the expectations set upon them. It looks at the striped-down stages of being a hero from a darker point of view, without all the glory. At the very end of this journey ( and this work), the hero has fully accepted their role. They do indeed find comfort in helping others, but they aren' t exactly " happy".
They're content.
And "content" is enough.
It has to be.
There will always be more work to do and more pressure to deal with. Their life is completely changed.
Compositionally, I sought to write a piece that feels like watching a movie or reading a novel. I love using music to tell stories, and it is my hope that this piece takes the listener on a reflective, emotionally-charged journey. Perhaps they think about heroes in their own life, heroes they admire, and see what they are going through. Perhaps they feel inspired to face their adversity head-on.
This work means a lot to me. At the time of writing this, my beautiful pitbull, Dolce, has passed away. I couldn't help but think of her as I wrote this. She brought so much joy. I often wonder if she knew exactly what was going on in those final moments. Why was everyone around more than usual? Why was she being treated like the queen she is? Why was everyone being so weird and so nice? She was so happy, but all we could see and feel in our hearts was that looming, inevitable curtain of death that hung over her. Did she know what was coming? And would things have been better or worse if she knew? I try not to think about it. Either way, the emotions I experienced made its way into the piece anyway, contributing to the overall mood.
I also couldn't help but think about someone else who passed was an impactful figure in my life, José Oliver Riojas, my band director for Wind Ensemble during my undergrad at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), School of Theatre and Music. Learning under him deepened my love for new music, and I'm forever grateful for the time we all spent there.
Studying under Riojas at UIC is also where my love for composition grew. I always felt that though I knew him quite a bit, I didn't really know him at all. It seemed he was always fighting some internal battle he wouldn't dare let the ensemble see on the outside. He was always trying to remain strong for us...
And, he was a huge fan of superheroes, particularly the Marvel universe. Naturally, I couldn't help but think of superheroes and his love for them while writing this piece. Perhaps they go or went through the same inner conflicts/dialogues I listed above. Although they inspire us and entertain us and make their worlds feel safe, I'm sure they are terrified or hurting on the inside.
But despite this fear, they do it anyway.
I dedicate this piece to Dolce and Riojas, and I hope that, above all, it inspires you to cherish those precious moments with the ones you love, face adversity head-on, find your own strength hidden in plain sight, grow and contribute to the world, and realize that everyone is fighting inner battles.
You are all heroes, and there's nothing more powerful than actualizing that potential.