Head Noise

Head Noise

a cappella SATB or TTBB

Head Noise was originally written for eight low voices, commissioned by Constellation Men's Ensemble, a chamber choir based in Chicago, Illinois. I was inspired by the commission theme "the sounds of silence" to write a piece that reflected on my own struggles with anxiety. At the time, I was attempting to use meditation and mindfulness techniques to help control my anxious thoughts, with mixed results. I found these practices to be quite difficult, and yet extremely compelling and empowering. Head Noise uses a short mantra to explore the process of organizing and making sense of the sonic clutter in one's mind. The phrase is first built up, emerging out of a dissonant stacking of sound, and then systematically unspooled, eventually transforming into something much more glorious and triumphant. In the end, the process is sanctified with a delicate return to the opening gestures, now with immense sensitivity and reverence.