Zoom! (2020)

Composer note

ZOOM / verb: move or travel very quickly
or, as I like to define:
ZOOM / noun: to be together when apart

Because of the global pandemic, the year 2020 will be like no other; perhaps the most challenging year we, as a world, will have to endure in our lifetime. But even during this era, there is hope and joy – a universal anticipation of better days – ideas I wanted to artistically imagine in ZOOM!. The preparation for this work was motivated by my desire to construct a composition on the notion of a word, phrase, or idea that, in part, defines this season. “Zoom” quickly rose to the top of the list, as much of our lives and interaction with people have become centered around the video conferencing platform of the same name. Musically, most of the composition is energetic, moves quickly, and radiates joy. These attributes reflect the literal meaning of the term and fact that a vaccine was developed rapidly, at a record pace, adding hope and joy to a time where those sentiments are easily displaced. I intended the slower middle section to evoke the dichotomy of being together while being apart; unsatisfying in one aspect, yet, cherished.

— Shawn Okpebholo