It’s been a busy fall at NEC, where I curated our first two Composers’ Series concerts on October 15 and November 6. The first focused on art songs and song cycles, and I was thrilled to hear the concert premiere of my song “How Do I Love Thee?” for soprano and piano performed by Aurora Martin and Noriko Yasuda. They also performed “Inscribed on a Lintel,” and both were mesmerizing interpretations. The concert also featured works by my colleagues Kati Agócs, John Mallia, and Rodney Lister, in addition to a song cycle by Arthur Berger.

I had the pleasure of co-curating the second concert with violinist Sophia Szokolay, a frequent collaborator. The first half of the program presented “Collective Voices,” a commissioning project by Sophia that explores themes of home, identity, and belonging through the lens of immigration and cultural memory. I was honored to have my new work for violin and piano, Stromateis, included among works by Sam Wu, Marc Migó, and Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol. Sophia and pianist Janice Wu did an amazing job with all four premieres. The second half of the program included two new works by John Mallia and Michael Gandolfi: Fragments and Fields for violin, cello, and live electronics by John, and Michael’s Sonata for Violoncello and Piano. What’s more, we had the good fortune of having photographer Acadia Mezzofanti on hand to document this show.