And the water receded

And the water receded is a sonification of Hurricane Katrina for three players and electronics. The listener will experience the track of the storm from its forming into a tropical depression on August 23, 2005 to its strengthening into a Hurricane and landfall in New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Hearing this on a reduced timescale allows for a greater appreciation of the magnitude of the event because it can be perceived in one sitting.

Having lived my entire life in New Orleans, I had seen many hurricanes. For some reason though as it was approaching it didn’t seem like a big deal. My family evacuated many times while I was growing up; we always returned within a few days. Because of this lack of experiencing it the first time, I wanted to make it perceptible for myself and others. Working on this piece was also a sort of therapy. I had never done any art about the storm and hadn’t processed my emotions from the event like I probably should have. Being with the piece forces a reflection on that time.

Animated notation was used to aid in the realization of the sonification. It allowed a synchronization between the electronics and instrumentalists, and aided a slow rhythmic acceleration that was directly related to the data.

Performance at New Music on the Bayou, Ruston Artisans, May 31, 2018

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Performances

• International Computer Music Conference and New York Electroacoustic Music Festival; Hebrew Union College; New York, New York, June 16-23, 2019
• New Music on the Bayou, Ruston Artisans; Ruston, Louisiana; May 31, 2018
• Signal Flow, Littlefield Concert Hall, Mills College, March 12, 2017