This piece is part of my “beauty” series, which explores broader questions about the kind of music I want to create—the purpose behind my work, the originality of my compositions, and how I can challenge myself while remaining true to my own voice. Most importantly, it reflects on how all of these are connected to the idea of beauty.

When my mentor, Louis Karchin, asked me to write a piece for his Washington Square Contemporary Music Ensemble last year, I initially considered making it part of my “artless beauty in pursuit of theory” project. In the end, however, I chose to create a standalone work, giving myself greater freedom to develop musical ideas without being bound to the interconnected, organically evolving framework of the “artless beauty” pieces.