Tell us about your new solo program, Towards the Light, recorded for this 2021 ISB Virtual Convention.
I was wanting to do a complete program for the ISB Convention since I’d be performing and attending. I began gathering repertoire that I thought would enhance the performance. Towards the Light was an expression that came to my mind. The title seemed very fitting at the time. When I was assembling pieces for the program in 2019, I was coming out of a dark place. It was not a happy place, but it was looking ahead to something hopeful and getting out of the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, there is light. The idea is that getting through hard times has purpose. Once we get through it, a new light and wisdom can be found. This perspective turned out to be fitting with the events of 2020. I thought about how fitting this title and theme was in light of 2020 and chose pieces that would tie together to create a story. For this recital, I looked for pieces that were in a specific mood that would create a passage from darkness to light. Some of the pieces dealt with dark emotions moving to a hopeful note. A piece in particular by Lloyd Goldstein demonstrates the reconciliation that occurs from coming out of the darkness.
Website: szymon-marciniak.com