for Harp and Erhu - 10’

written for the PhoeNX Ensemble as part of the East Chamber Music Festival

1. A field of dandelion, floating

2. Man seen through the shades of a window

3. Choreography, aerial view of the city

The score for this piece is a series of texts that become increasingly spare, starting with prose instructions, moving to interpretive poetry, then finally to a single instruction with an image. I am endlessly fascinated by (guided) improvisation, and more specifically, composed improvisation. What is the role of the composer when performers are creating the material in real-time (or when the composer is one of the performers)? Actor, director, and champagne salesman Orson Welles once described his role as a director as “the man who presides over accidents,” and I am inclined to agree with this idea (if not make these accidents myself).