JAY DOMINO composer and conductor
FREYA LIU violin I
ANNA HARRIS violin II
CHLOE AQUINO viola
CHRIS HEALY cello
JOHNNY DEMARTINO double bass

ANAIS AZUL alto
CRYSTAL LUO piano

associated artwork by RICKY DEAN

libretto by TEANDREA N. JACKSON

SLEEP is a five part piece that I wrote centered around a poem written by TeAndrea N. Jackson called "New Shoes". The poem sparked a story in my head that came to fuel the piece - one of resounding happiness followed by profound uncertainty, and then fear. Our protagonist, coming from a place of bliss, meets a terrifying reality and grows progressively closer to it throughout the duration of the piece. Eventually, only one voice remains, and the listener is left to wonder exactly what has become of the other.

The corporeal parallels to this piece lie in the very human fear of death and the uncertainty of what comes afterward. The irony exists in the juxtaposition of our fear of death over the certainty in the fact that we are going to die. I wrote this piece to explore that sentiment.

New Shoes by TeAndrea N. Jackson

New shoes,

New shoes, I got

I sleep.