Inside Voice

• written for Pierrot Ensemble with Tenor; 9’ 00”

( 2022 )

* Note: singer is asked to bow a glockenspiel, in addition to improvising on additional percussion instruments of choice

Program Note

Inside Voice is inspired by the notion of having to stay silent and repress your feelings and/or your personality to satisfy someone else. When someone [younger] screams, they’re often reminded to “use [their] inside voice.” This work follows a poem by the composer through cycling frustration, bursting out into an “outside voice.” The chaos is cut off dramatically by the singer, who twists the text to suggest that this entire presentation has been a farce, as often happens when someone else “doesn’t like what they hear.” The piece concludes with a grounded sense of self and a self-chosen inside voice.