Double (2018)
Double really grew out of the text of Ella Wheeler Wilcox, a poet whom I have really gravitated to in the last few years. I viewed the text as two people in quite a heated argument with each other, almost like the cliché angel vs. devil over a person's shoulders.
The music doesn't hold back, unabashedly dissonant and raucous, even leading to the two characters essentially screaming at each other at certain moments. But Wilcox reminds us that these two creatures can work in harmony, and gladden the world as they do so.
Double was premiered at Binghamton University on March 21, 2018 by Sara Tillett and Jordan Bowman, with myself at the keyboard; and saw a second performance at University of Illinois with Lauren Falk and Katherine Stenzel on December 6, 2019.
