Program Note

Untied Ends was written during the tail end of my second year at University of the Pacific. In these weeks, I bid farewell to friends and mentors who were moving on to the next chapter in their own stories. Times like these get me thinking about the people who come into and out of our lives – especially those with whom, through circumstance or choice, we will never cross paths again. Weaved into the tapestry of our life over months or years, their thread is left unfastened, pulling loose with a hefty enough tug. 

The title also suggests the idea of a loose end, a lack of closure. So often in these life transitions, I never feel quite settled. My last days in middle and high school, I remember an overwhelming sense of is that it? Sometimes it’s hard to know how precious a moment is until so many years pass that you begin losing the details. 

One central idea in this piece is a feeling of suspension and stasis. I imagine the music is living in a moment, knowing that an end is coming but cherishing every last second before the inevitable. I think we could all do with a bit more cherishing in our lives. 

- Edmund Bascon

This work was written for the Tidewater Composition Workshop and was premiered by fellows and members of the Newfound Chamber Winds in Norfolk VA, on June 11, 2026.