Composer’s Note:

Composed and choreographed by Nancy and Michael Udow, this work in its original form, encompassed a time span of 45 minutes. For decades, I have been fascinated with how elements from one work can be employed in intriguing new ways creating a new composition. Certainly this compositional approach is rooted in the historic traditions of Bach, Mozart, Mahler and others. Stepping on Stars is a blending of new materials with materials from three of my compositions including: Toyama and arias from two of my operas, The Shattered Mirror and Twelve Years a Slave.

In [Section II-a and Section VI] the texts are intended as a reference of mood and meaning and should not be sung or spoken. The words, in short phrases, were written by poet, John Gracen Brown. With his permission, I ordered the text into these phrase sequences. Both text and accompanying melodic and harmonic materials are extracted from The Shattered Mirror.