With Jooyeon Chang, Piano, and Kevin Poelking, Composer

Inspired by their personal reflections and work with fellow musicians and students throughout the pandemic, CSU faculty artists Cayla Bellamy (bassoon), and Megan Lanz (flute) undertook a journey of identifying trends in their emotions and experiences that were either limiting their happiness or interpersonal connections.

The two realized they shared many commonalities and discovered a psychological framework of metaphorical ghosts that haunt us all through the human experience – struggles with control, trust, and the sense of being “enough.” This led to the commission of Frank Horvat’s “The Spirits that Haunt Us,” and Kevin Poelking’s “Mask,” which explore, in combination, the mental health trends of connecting and reconnecting with others. These two world premiers are paired with works by John Steinmetz, Jenni Brandon, and Reena Esmail to round out an evening depicting our deeply human desires to communicate, connect, and share our natural world.