The inspiration behind my piece,
Invictus, is it's supposed to be
a work about New York City,
in its current state,
with Black Lives Matter,
dealing with COVID-19,
the uncertainly of it all.
But one thing is for sure.
New York City is very adaptable,
is very resilient, and we 
somehow figured out
a way to come together, 
through this time.
I was excited about the 
opportunity to write a piece
that involved musicians from 
various styles of music.
As a composer, I have a 
tendency to incorporate
gospel, jazz, classical, 
and hip hop,
and I felt working with 
these musicians
would help enhance those 
styles within the piece.
[horns play]
Conducting this piece was very
special, and extremely humbling.
It was also very challenging,
considering that all the musicians
were 12 feet apart 
from each other.
But all in all, one of the 
best experiences of my career.
[Brass instruments begin]
[Music ends]
