As our world increasingly retreats into individualistic experiences of communication and consumption, I considered how a composition can weave together the sensibilities of interaction into threads of sound. As composers, we often work alone; we are immersed in an imagined world until we return to the music community with the outcome of our solitude. This experience became part of the process while setting Hyphae and was gradually entwined with its core subject material.

Kirsten Milenko in a blue scarf.

Kirsten Milenko. Photo © Gerald Geerink

Inspired by the delicate, thread-like filaments known as hyphae – the building blocks of mycelium (the root-like structure of a fungus) and essential to the vitality of forests – I sought to capture their constant growth and intricate connectivity. The form of the piece establishes networks where surrounding materials can interact, grow and breathe life into one another. Hyphae mirrors this process with an ever-evolving structure that allows for both simplicity and complexity.

Commissioned by Ensemble Offspring, Hyphae sets a quintet of flute, clarinets, soprano saxophone, prepared piano (which involves, in this case, placing small items inside the piano to alter the sound of the instrument...