Premiered October 3rd, 2024, Rice University

Ducan Recital Hall

Each night, we are blessed with the shimmering beauty of the stars, a vast constellation that decorates our skies. While many of them twinkle and radiate with splendor, countless others no longer exist. They are millions of light-years away, and yet, their light continues to journey across space, reaching us long after they’ve faded. In this way, we witness not the stars themselves, but the last traces of their brilliance — a breathtaking phenomenon that allows us to experience what no longer exists.

 

Much like these distant stars, our memories become constellations of their own, lighting up the nights of our minds. These memories, though grounded in the past, feel vivid and real, as if we are living them all over again. While time machines may belong to the realm of science fiction, memories grant us the power to step into other worlds — worlds shaped by those who have touched our lives and by the moments we carry with us.

 

So, sweet dreams to those who have passed, but continue to shine within us as they live on in our own cosmic time machines.