When Jim Freeman commissioned me to write a work for Chamber Orchestra First Editions, I immediately thought of composing something to honor my mother, who had passed away earlier in the year. Her departure invited me to reflect deeply about what we pass on from generation to generation, and how we might choose to keep the best qualities of our loved ones alive in our everyday words and actions. My mother was a brilliant woman, with a vibrant personality, who was ultimately taken away from us by Alzheimer’s Disease. This music, which is based on a Sicilian lullaby, reflects both the incomparable loss and the burning sense of purpose I feel in the wake of her passing. She was my star, and her radiant spirit will always burn brightly within me.
— Robert Maggio
chamberorchestrafe.org 