The first performance took place at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia on November 21, 2010, with Ed Schultz, alto flute; Marc Rovetti, violin; and John Koen, violoncello.  I was asked to write this work for Network for New Music's Trade Winds from Tibet concert.  The new work is inspired by Tibetan folk music which Andrea Clearfield gathered during her recent travels to Nepal.

Program Note:

My inspiration for Passages comes from two Tibetan songs:  When Queen Kusum goes as a bride to Ladakh, and Shar Kyi Ri La Ma Ta.  They seemed complimentary to me, for several reasons, though they are unrelated.  Queen Kusum has a narrative about a young queen who must leave her home, family and friends to be married.  There is a refrain that is chanted, "But from the girl’s own homeland Manthang, Would they dare to send her away?  To the eastern region of Ladakh, do you dare send Kusum away?"  Shar Kyi Ri La Ma Ta discusses a holy place of Guru Rinpoche, and in the version that is accompanied by dance, the phrase "May the king and his wife be prosperous!" is added.  By associating these two seemingly unrelated songs with each other, I created a narrative of my own which has somewhat of a cross-cultural theme focusing on the rite of passage (hence the title) when one must leave one's family.  The title is also meant to evoke the literal passage Kusum must traverse, in addition to the metaphoric ones. 

These two songs also share a rhythmic feature.  The verses in Queeen Kusum are punctuated by a drum solo, the rhythm of which I have used as the basis for the opening material of Passages.  I also utilized the rhythm of the dance steps heard in Shar Kyi Ri La Ma Ta, as well as fragments and contours from its melody.  Like the drum solo, outbursts of the opening rhythmic motif frame the more pensive and melodic contrasting sections.