I have always wanted to compose a ballet. So when the Los Angeles Philharmonic enthusiastically embraced the idea a little over a year ago, it was like a dream come true. In order to make that dream a reality, I threw myself into the task of exploring thematic connections that had to do with earthly matters—with humanity in all its complexity, but from a subversive, feminine point of view. The world we live in suffers from a broad array of issues, such as mass migration, economic inequality, joblessness, social decay, racism, climate change, and violence, to name just a few. Self-reflection as a form of creative feedback amid this milieu has constituted one of my most powerful obsessions. And of course, somewhere amid all this lies the subject of feminism.

Composed:2023

Length: c. 40 minutes

Orchestration: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, alto saxophone, timpani, percussion (agogos, almglocken, anvil bean, bamboo chimes, bass drum, bongos, cabasa, cans, chimes, claves, cowbells, crash cymbals, crotales, flexatone, frame drum, glockenspiel, gongs, guiro, hi-hat, marimba, metal blocks, metal rattles, metal shakers, pipes, rattles, river stones, sand blocks, shakers, snare drums, suspended cymbals, tambourine, tam-tams, teponaztli [low log drum], temple blocks, Thai gongs, triangles, vibraphone, vibraslap, whip, wind gong, wood blocks, xylophone, Zurdo [floor tom]), harp, piano, celesta, women’s chorus, and strings