For the Next Few Minutes, I'm Fine (2026) for open instrumentation

For the Next Few Minutes, I'm Fine (2026) for open instrumentation Composed by Matt A. Mason Presented by Outward New Music *Due to the spacing and lighting requirements for this work, video was unable to be captured and the audio is not fantastically balanced. While the online recording is not the same quality as the others from this series, Matt's piece was extraordinarily effective in person and we still wanted to share this work with you all in any way that we can. – Outward New Music =performers= Scott Eastman (S.E.) Andrews, tenor Robbie Strauss, flute Alejandro Lobo, guitar Wrenn Mokry, bassoon William Doyle, piano =note from the composer= For the Next Few Minutes, I’m Fine is inspired by the moment of calm between tragic events. My sister called me at 4AM to tell me that my mom, who had just spent 13 hours in the ER, had stage 4 cancer and that they had to begin treatment in the hospital immediately. To get to them, I drove 4 hours with this mantra: “For the next few minutes, I’m fine. She’s fine. It’ll be okay.” This piece is built on breath-like moments that accumulate in harmony and texture through the independent choices of the performers – each of them processing the work in their own time. The three sections of the work represent the three parts of the mantra: I’m fine, She’s fine, It’ll be okay. The ending concludes with simple voices, reflecting the humanity that I hope can be heard at the core of this piece. ======================== Performance recorded September 12, 2026 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church as part of the Outward New Music Fall Concert Series. #newmusic #classicalmusic #relaxingmusic