Almost all of my recent projects involve the transformation of a theme or melody by placing it in a variety of what could be called “expressive contexts.” In other words, I write a melody and say to myself “what if it were played in a really bold, declamatory way?” or “what if it were played sweetly and serenely?” I try to imagine it within different textures, with different accompaniments, and played by different groups of instruments. Then I try to tell a musical story by placing these ideas w...