English.
Selected as a finalist in the 2019 Ithaca College Choral Festival and premiered there as part of the festival. This piece received its Midwest premiere at the ACDA North/North Central regional conference in 2020, performed by Roosevelt High School, directed by Robyn Starks Holcomb. The text of the piece is addressed to anyone facing struggles--and it presents an honest affirmation that those struggles are real. Rather than deny the existence of problems or pain, the listener is encouraged to "lean into" the hardship, to name it--and to thereby reduce its power. Textually and musically, the listener is presented with the metaphor of a tree--being whipped by the wind--but built to bend in that wind and ultimately withstand the pressure-filled gales. The power of community is also affirmed--as the listener is encouraged to walk alongside--to bend along with--their neighbor. .
