Silk Ears (2019)

Program Note: The title of this piece refers to the bizarre nature of a monoecious plant and its incongruous form wrapped up in a short lifespan. In a monoecious plant, such as corn, both a male and a female flower bloom from a single stalk with strange prop roots. Wind floats pollen from the tassels down to the sticky strands of silk. Silk Ears unfolds in two movements, each cultivating double-flowered ideas. The first movement plays with different shapes and expanded unisons and octaves before unwinding into cyclical synchronicity. The second movement explores two of the ephemeral songs of the goddesses from the masque in Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest.

I. Tessellations: 5’

II. You Nymphs: 3’30”

Silk Ears was recorded and premiered by Austin Soundwaves Teaching Artists on November 12, 2020 at their Phase 4 Concert Series.

Sara Aldana, violin

Haley Dietz, violin

Hermes Camacho, viola

Elizabeth Lee, cello

https://www.austinsoundwaves.org/