Cinematic Suite is a reimagined adaptation of the film score I composed, arranged, conducted, and recorded in 2018 for string orchestra. That year, I had the privilege of composing my first feature-length score for Dear Leo, a film directed by Emma Rappold. Dear Leo follows Annie Duncan as she navigates the transition from high school to college, told through letters exchanged with her middle-school cousin, Leo. The script's emotional depth moved me deeply when I first read it, and I found myself in tears. For this debut feature, I poured my heart into the score, capturing the bittersweet journey of coming-of-age—its soaring joys and its quiet sorrows. This concert suite takes selected cues from the film and reimagines them as standalone compositions, intended to be performed by talented young musicians—a story for young people told by young people.
Plant Orchestra, Capital Orchestra Festival, Kennedy Center, 2/17/25