“Hope” is the thing with feathers is an an art song for soprano and piano accompaniment that borrows text from Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name. This work was commissioned by Cristina Loyola in 2023.

This piece was inspired by moments during my undergraduate studies where I wanted to quit composing and music altogether, specifically during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the realization I later experienced that I wanted to continue with music and pursue graduate studies, finding hopefulness in my newly rekindled relationship with composition and music in general.

This art song was premiered in April 2024 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia by Cristina Loyola and Stephen Coxe.