3 Cogitations on a Curb

Performed by:

Piper Weldon, soprano
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Nehama Dormont, flutes
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3 Cogitations on a Curb is a piece for Soprano and Flutist, playing C flute and Bass Flute. This piece, written over a period of 3 years, catalogues my experience of learning to live with a disability. Each movement was written to explore whatever part of my experience was the most pressing at that moment:

Heard, not Seen (2022) explores the mechanics of how being visibly disabled affects others' perception of you and who you are.

How to Jumpstart a Car (2023) explores coming to terms with the fact that my disability is not temporary, and I will deal with it for a long time, if not my whole life.

It’s fine. (2025) explores trying to figure out how to deal with people who act as if, because 3 years have passed, you are suddenly able-bodied and not disabled, even though you clearly still are.

This piece is dedicated to 2 duos. The first, Piper Weldon and Nehama Dormont, have been phenomenal friends and collaborators throughout the life of this work and have premiered every part of it. Without their collaboration and beautiful artistic minds, this piece wouldn’t be half of what it is. Similarly, the incredible Sydeboob Duo, Anna Elder and Sarah Steranka (https://www.sydeboobduo.com/), were integral to its creation. Sydeboob did the first reading of the first movement of this work, and gave insightful and masterful feedback on the first and second movement during their residencies at Penn State. I don’t believe that I would’ve even written the second movement without their encouragement of the first movement. This quartet of outstanding people, and their thoughts and ideas, are weaved into the fabric of this work. And for that, I can’t thank them enough.