Piece Info
- Approximate performance time: 9-10 minutes
- Transposed score
 
Piece Characteristics
- Intense counterpoint and rhythmic independence
- A large number of asymmetrical time signatures, often several in a row
- Starts slow and rubato, gains energy steadily and ends with a blazing finish
- 7-part rondo structure
 
Program Notes
The word Upcycle means to turn recyclable materials or trash into art. I wasn't thinking of that meaning while writing it, but the title seemed to fit for multiple reasons. The piece is cyclical, outlining a rough 7-part rondo structure, but each time the original theme returns, it contains more and more energy. It begins reflectively and grows to be more dancelike until it ends in a blistering asymmetrical tempo. The term Upcycle also reflects part of the artistic process that generated this piece: I often take ideas from previous pieces, finished or unfinished, and reuse or improve them in a new work. In this sense, I am "upcycling" my own material, as I grow and mature as a composer. The journey of the piece – like my own journey – is less about reaching the pinnacle than the prevailing direction: up and up.