I have always been fascinated by the "monochromatic" sound of an ensemble made up of multiples of the same instrument. It creates a striking acoustic illusion: a single, giant instrument operated by a multitude of people. While my first work for this medium, Caracas Counterpoint, was a rambunctious and chaotic portrait of urban life, Breathe seeks a more subtle, ethereal atmosphere.

The primary inspiration for this work was a performance of Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. I wanted to capture the shimmering, translucent woodwind textures that define Ravel’s language and translate them into a purely flute-based environment. The piece opens with a "cloud of sound" built from small, interlocking patterns. Out of this mist, the piccolo introduces a long, singing melody—a recurring theme that reappears throughout the work in various "garbs."

This initial stillness is eventually interrupted by a syncopated, rhythmic idea that pushes the music into a more driving, kinetic section. A chant-like, simple statement follows, leading into a development where these three distinct musical identities—the atmospheric cloud, the lyric line, and the rhythmic burst—vie for attention. They alternate and overlap, building toward an exciting conclusion where the lyrical and the rhythmic fly in and out of focus, ultimately resolving in a final, collective breath.