Kevin Hartnett

Instrumentation: Mezzo-Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Cello 1, Cello 2, Piano
Duration: 5:45

Like many people, I do not like to write emails. I am easily distracted by the myriad other things the internet has to offer, and when I am able to concentrate on the task at hand, I often find myself writing and rewriting the text numerous times. Dear Anna is a dramatic representation of this long, stressful, and sometimes agonizing process. In this piece, the vocalist must write an email to the enigmatic Anna but struggles to complete it. She alternates repeatedly between periods of drafting the text and looking up various sets of information—weather forecasts, restaurant reviews, radio broadcast schedules, city populations—and she becomes increasingly exasperated as the writing process drags on. As her frustration reaches its peak, she is finally able to hastily assemble the words she needs and, with a great sense of relief, hit “send.”