The Imposters, for solo tuba
Instrumentation: solo tuba
Year Composed: 2021
Duration: 10’30”
Movements:
I. The Soloist
II. The Expert
III. The Perfectionist
IV. The Natural Genius
V. The Superhero
Premiered in April 2021
Program Notes:
The Imposters for solo tuba was composed in 2021, inspired by my feelings of imposter syndrome brought on by my sudden visibility during the pandemic. Each movement is inspired by a different one of the five types of imposter syndrome. Typically affecting those with marginalized identities at higher rates, imposter syndrome is feeling as if you are an “imposter” in a space you earned your way into, despite being qualified. In the fear of people realizing that they are an imposter, they invoke the following behaviors to prevent this from happening.
1. The Soloist is the person who tries to do everything on their own believing that asking for help shows weakness.
2. The Expert is the person who needs to know everything, constantly learning to be the expert on an entire subject. They fear that if they don’t know something, they will be “exposed.”
3. The Perfectionist is self-explanatory. This is the person who feels like they need to do everything perfectly or it’s a failure. Any mistake that others catch could mean that they don’t belong. However, the pursuit of perfection is not possible and typically leads to burnout.
4. The Natural Genius is the person who thinks that their talent is due to natural ability rather than practice and hard work. That means that any negative reviews or criticism are a sign of personal flaw rather than a mistake.
5. The Superhero is the person who does everything they can at the highest level they can, frequently carrying too many burdens and stretching themselves too thin.
Gateways, for solo tuba and spoken word
Instrumentation: solo tuba and spoken word
Year Composed: 2022
Premiered in June 2022 at the International Women’s Brass Conference
Program Notes:
The first work in my Visions Series of autobiographical pieces for tuba and spoken word, Gateways, describes the difficulties those with marginalized identities face when trying to succeed in the field by trying to get past gatekeepers. While it may seem that the path is straightforward for everyone, systemic issues lead to disadvantages for those outside of the majority. After trying so hard to play the game and failing, the character is burned out and decides to team up with others rejected by the system to form their own “gates.”
Due to the autobiographical nature of this work, it is not available for purchase. If you are interested in commissioning a similar work, please reach out to me.
Foundations, for solo tuba and spoken word
Instrumentation: solo tuba and spoken word
Year Composed: 2023
Premiered in June 2023 at the International Women’s Brass Conference
Program Notes:
Foundations is about those who came before me to lay the groundwork for where I am today. Reflecting through my lineage as a granddaughter of Haitian and Antiguan immigrants, I honor the sacrifices and hardships they endured to allow me to have the life I have today. “My house wasn’t built in a day,” and while it seems as if things are easy, that is rooted in hundreds of years of decisions.
Due to the autobiographical nature of this work, it is not available for purchase. If you are interested in commissioning a similar work, please reach out to me.
Reflections, for solo tuba and spoken word
Instrumentation: solo tuba and spoken word
Year Composed: 2023
Premiered in June 2023 at the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference
Program Notes:
Reflections describes the way I have grown over time. It follows me, staring at my reflection in the mirror, looking beyond the surface level to see what has brought me to this moment. It has me to reflect on how experiences from early childhood to today shaped me into the woman I am.
Due to the autobiographical nature of this work, it is not available for purchase. If you are interested in commissioning a similar work, please reach out to me.
blues & rhythm, for solo tuba
Instrumentation: solo tuba
Year Composed: 2024
Premiered in May 2024 by Meredith Fuller
Program Notes:
blues & rhythm is loosely based on the traditional gospel spiritual “There’s A Leak in this Old Building.”The lyrics to the main chorus of the song go: “There’s a leak in this old building and my soul has got to move.” This references how one sometimes needs to realize when things are no longer serving them, when their buildings have leaks, and they need to trust God to move on to something better.
The piece alternates between soulful sections that quote the theme of the song and rhythmic sections, exploring the technicality and versatility of the blues scale. It has been deliberately written with minimal expression markings to give the performer liberties in expression, often a challenge in the classically-trained paradigm. The soulful sections test the player’s ability to bring out their own soul and meaning, and the technical sections challenge the player with a variety of moods, grooves, and rhythms—demonstrating the virtuosity of the player.