Almost Alice
Duration: 5:00
Instrumentation: String Orchestra
Commissioner:
A consortium led by Mark Alpizar, including the following ensembles: the Ohlendorf Honors Orchestra, Arizona State University Philharmonia, California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley, Four Seasons Youth Orchestra, and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
Grade Level: 4-5 (has been performed by advanced middle schools to professional orchestras)
Program Notes:
Almost Alice was inspired by a quote from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I set the text to a melody in dialogue between first and second violins in measures 142-159. The dialogue reads:
Absolem (Caterpillar): Who are you?
Alice: I thought we'd settled this. I'm Alice, not that one.
Absolem: How do you know?
Alice: You said so yourself.
Absolem: I said you were not hardly Alice. But you're much more her now. In fact, you're almost Alice.
Alice: Even so, I couldn't slay the dragon if my life depended on it.
Absolem: It will.
The quote reminded me that we all feel lost sometimes, but we may be more capable than we realize. This especially applies to young people who are struggling to know who they are or where they are going. Our experiences throughout life, our successes and failures, are all attempts at trying to find ourselves, reach our goals and dreams, and give meaning to our lives. Being “Almost Alice” means you are close to your full potential. It takes time, perseverance, and sometimes a change in perspective to recognize that you are Almost Alice and then to actually become the true Alice.
Almost Alice was commissioned in 2018 through a Consortium led by conductor, Mark Alpizar. The following ensembles participated in the consortium: The Ohlendorf Honor Orchestra, Arizona State University Philharmonia, California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley, Four Seasons Youth Orchestra, and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.