She Who Nurses Butterflies

Listen to the work here!
 
She Who Nurses Butterflies is a work for solo marimba, requiring the use of a 5-octave instrument. This work is inspired by, dedicated to, and was written as a gift for a very close friend of mine, who was one of the closest and most trusted people in my life while I was first discovering and falling in love with my trans identity. She was the first person who I opened up to about my desire to no longer use the name I was given at birth, she was the first person that I told my actual name to when I had discovered it, as well as the first person that I ever heard call me my preferred name, which is to this day one of the most cherished memories I have with any friend I’ve ever made. She has had a massive influence on my ability to comfortably come out to the people in my life, thus “nursing the butterflies” that accompanied the nervousness of coming out as trans, and in this way I can safely say that I would not be myself or love myself the way I do without her friendship. The piece is also inspired by another memory: while going to a convenience store together one weekend, we came across a butterfly whose wing was injured, laying on the sidewalk. My friend, in her infinite compassion, picked the butterfly up, carried it to her partner’s apartment, and fed it sugar water until it was healthy enough to fly again. She is truly one of the most incredible people I’ve met in a myriad of ways, and I am infinitely grateful for the impact she has had on my life.