For score and parts, contact Jay directly

Songs from our mothers (2021)

For voice, electronics, and piano. 2 songs, 7 minutes total. In English and Tagalog. Commissioned by Mishael Eusebio.

Live recording by Jay Mobley (voice), Ian Axness (piano), and Carl Jacobson (electronics)

Tenor Mish Eusebio and I began our collaboration with a shared vision of theatricality. He wanted to create some kind of semi-dramatic work together, and I told him about my previous experiences setting texts of interviews that I had conducted. He was immediately excited by the idea, and suggested we talk to friends and family about their experiences during the pandemic thus far. After working independently on it, we found we had coincidentally both interviewed our mothers, and that theirs were the most interesting of our texts. Often I find the shape of a piece appears if you just start heading in some direction — in this case, it took the shape of a tribute to our mothers, their colorful personalities, and their experiences of the world. Both Mish and I have performed the piece. In both cases, we took on the roles of both our mothers, but when I sang it, I had the added challenge of learning his mother's Tagalog!