composer’s note:

my heart is late” (2018) was written in memory of my wife of 40 years, Barbara Gibson (1946–2018). The title of the piece was inspired by the following lines from the poignant love poem “Touch Me” by Stanley Kunitz: “It is my heart that’s late,/ it is my song that’s flown.”

The premiere performance was given by James Stern (violin) and Audrey Andrist (piano) at the memorial service for Barbara on September 9, 2018 in Gildenhorn Recital Hall, University of Maryland, College Park.