an Aid in the Process

Abstract

an Aid in the Process is a work featuring an unusual orchestral configuration, making use of two distinct groups, each with their own conductor. Programmatically, the work addresses aid in-dying legislation and contemporary political rhetoric. The work particularly deals with the legal and personal battles of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman whose plea for aid-in-dying legislation sparked a tense legal battle which, by its’ end, had involved lobbies from the Roman Catholic Church, which staunchly opposed the law, and Compassion and Choices, a prominent aid-indying advocacy group. The orchestral configuration mirrors this; although an Aid in the Process does not attempt to portray any exact timeline of Maynard’s dying process, the larger, brass-heavy orchestra serves to represent the forces opposing her choice, while the smaller orchestra, comprised primarily of woodwinds and solo strings, serves as a vehicle for portraying Maynard and her family’s final months together. This configuration serves as an allegory for the diametrically opposed voices so often heard in contemporary politics. an Aid in the Process was composed for Dennis Friesen-Carper and the Valparaiso Symphony Orchestra.