Dreaming in Color

Dreaming in Color was commissioned by OUT Ensemble as the flagship work of their inaugural Queer and Now Concert Series, taking place throughout October 2025 in recognition of LGBTQ+ History Month. After meeting in a class, my fellow classmate and clarinetist for OUT Ensemble, Sophie Bracken, reached out to me with a proposition to write a new work for them. What started originally as an imagined scenario for a class assignment quickly blossomed into a real-life collaboration, and from there, Dreaming in Color was written. The idea was simple yet connected with me deeply: write a work celebrating the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ+ community not to be performed simply in academia but within the community it represented.

This work aims to do just that, while also following a journey of self-acceptance, resilience, and queer joy. I am in awe of the steadfastness and unwavering strength of my fellow community that has endured for so long and will continue to do so. Dreaming in Color was not written in spite of America’s current right-wing backslide, but because of all of the people in it who deserve happiness, dignity, and safety. As society more so values our shame and silence, expressing love and pride in such a public manner is a radical act.

This recording is from a performance at the Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown Branch, in October of 2025. Videography and audio editing were done by Nelson Walker.