2022 – for solo violin and fixed electronics – 6:30

Sheet Music

Score (pdf)
[please contact me for fixed electronics part]

Premiere Performance

World Premiere: August 6, 2022, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Paulina Derbez (violin)

Programme Notes

Meditation has been an integral part of my daily routine for a number of years. My mind races and I can easily feel anxiously overloaded, so I very much rely on meditation in order to maintain my mental health. Part of my life journey has been to use my musical voice to espouse health and well-being. It is always a wonderful experience to connect with fellow artists who share these same values and creative processes. When I met violinist, Paulina Derbez, I knew instantly that we would come together to produce music that embraces all these sentiments.

When Paulina and I discussed what could be the basis of our collaboration, she told me about the certification she had just completed in the HeartMath system, a set of tools that focus on heart wave variability and coherence. Paulina guided my wife and I through a number of sessions introducing us to a number of techniques aimed at bringing the brain, mind, body and emotions into balanced alignment.

As a meditator it was nice to learn a similar system, focussed on breathing, specifically through the heart. The first of the HeartMath techniques that Paulina shared with us is referred to as “Heart-Focused Breathing”. This composition is inspired by this specific technique. The voice you hear in this work is Paulina herself reciting HeartMath’s guidance in practicing this method. My goal in composing this piece is to allow the listener to practice the technique as they hear the music. A live performance of the work is particularly special because the audience can communally practice as they absorb the sound of the music. I have always believed that music can play a role in allowing the conscious mind to be introspective and many of my past compositions reflect this. But this piece is moving that premise to a whole other level. Coherence between the heart, breath and sound is profound….I hope you enjoy your journey.

Many thanks to the commissioner of this work, Paulina Derbez, for her inspiration and guidance and to the HeartMath Institute for providing these tools for better coherence.