Elevator Dreams started off as a series of poems pertaining to a chance encounter in an elevator at a New Year's Eve party in Newark, DE. This encounter was not romantic, nor did it have any sort of sexual implications; but the insignificant words of small talk led to contact information being exchanged, however, only in one direction because of the limited time available before the elevator stopped at its destination.

The first movement, "Vulnerability", is about the time spent in silence after entering the elevator. The awkward tension of two strangers standing drowsily in stark quietness, waiting for the elevator to start ascending. This movement introduces thematic elements heard throughout the piece, as it conveys the flood of thoughts and emotions stirring in the awkward silence. The text reflects on how the lack of confidence led to this silence and the half empty feeling that stemmed from the lack of communication

The second movement,"Glass Houses" is about the first impression of the other patron in the elevator; both the concrete and abstract interpretation of the other person cramped inside the small glass room. The music is frantic at first, very processed and mechanical, as is the anxiety of standing alone with a stranger in complete silence. The music suddenly slows down and becomes stable, as the silence is broken with a few insignificant words, softly spoken.

The third movement is the conversation had in the elevator; the simple small talk that occurred and led to the exchange of contact information. More importantly, it is about the racing of the mind during this period of meaningless talk, where the "elevator dreams" are now occurring; these daydreams of what this exchange could mean for the future, and how many new and exciting paths could be forged from this random meeting. It's a question of "what happens now?" after meeting someone who could become a significant person in your life, and just how far the whole thing could go. The music conveys the obsession that occurs after this moment, recalling themes from previous movements and transforming them in different ways, much like how the relationship between these two people could've gone multiple directions, but still shared the common theme of some sort of romantic interest, even if not spoken out loud.

The fourth movement takes place weeks, months, or years after the event, with no contact received from the other patron of the elevator. The long, drawn out chords represent the feeling of longing; monitoring phone for hours waiting for some sort of communication. Time moves on, and so do the feelings. The daydreams of what could've been start to fade away, and elevator dreams crash down and become nothing but a novelty. The entire event starts to seem fabricated. The piece does not cadence, however, as the daydreams of the lifetime spent in the elevator never truly fade away, and a slight half-empty feeling remains.

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Vulnerability

Hesitation was a plague
Apprehension, its catalyst
Loneliness, its cure, and
Fear, its genesis

Elevator Dreams
Mistaken for reality
Physically, mentally
Torn
Yearning

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Glass Houses

Your eyes, betrayed
Your smile, faked
Unnoticed
Fragile as the glass
you stood against

I don't remember the words
Only their weight
Vulnerability

And you felt it too

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Where The Heart Is

Trapped in the same glass house
Ascending, floating
Time’s curse still lingering
Significance of the silence
Throwing stones against the elevator


You said you liked my character
Maybe it was his wings
The way his eyes spoke
Or just the color of his soul

Those insignificant words
Like 1000 paper cranes
Floating fragile, guiding to
Where the heart is,
Alone in the same glass house.

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Half Empty

Distant memories of Elevator Dreams
Time’s curse
Letters never written
Diaries never kept

Elevator Dreams come crashing down
A story told at parties
Fabricated memory
A glass half empty

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(Also, this is not be singing nor playing, I had two friends perform this for me. I just wrote the music!)