When I got the commission to write a tenor–bass honor choir piece, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to address our flawed perspectives of masculinity. We have traditionally thought of gender identities in the binary with little space to acknowledge its expansive spectrum. I invited trans, queer femme, two–spirit poet Amir Rabiyah to reflect on what masculinity means to them. At the heart of it, Release speaks of emotional vulnerability as a source of strength and power.

The ostinato in the piano represents rigidity and the idea of society’s fixed thinking. It is intermittently interrupted by an alternate yet constant figure that goes against the beat, creating a polyrhythmic blur. The ostinato eventually concedes to a more fluid gesture when the weighted jacket is taken off.

Release was commissioned by the California Choral Directors Association for the 2023 All–State Tenor–Bass Honor Choir. The premiere was given at the California Music Educators Association (CASMEC) Conference in Fresno in February 2023.