I’m continually affected by interactions I’ve had with displaced people, most notably those who live on the streets of Chicago, Baltimore, and Paris. Three seemingly random encounters have caused me to alter my life’s path. Looking back, I realize there are some doors I may not have gone through without their unsolicited advice, which other ears may have perceived as nonsensical. Strange Angel was inspired by these experiences. The work itself is made up of three sections that are bound together and seep into each other via the presentation and distortion of common musical material. At times, the music responds to its own distortion just as we respond to perceptions of and reactions to our own environment. The manipulation of breath throughout the piece is an important component of its message.