Staring Contest

for HIGH VOICE, CHAMBER ENSEMBLE and ELECTRONICS

text from the short story “Never the Hero” by Sean Williamson

Sean Williamson’s “Never the Hero” was recently awarded the Hamlin-Garland short story award from the Beloit Fiction Journal. Judge Michael Byers wrote, “This story demonstrates a writer in full command – moving across a whole life in a handful of pages, finding damage and solace in unlikely moments, its people carrying their hearts forward into one question after another.”

Staring Contest reflects the waves of uncertainty, despair, and hope that flow throughout “Never the Hero.” The vocalist floats through a richly woven sonic texture that is haunted by the opening question “How can you know if someone’s dead if you’ve never seen them alive?” Memories and visions fill the musical texture, offering moments of solace but also prompting further questions with no easy answers.

Staring Contest was written for and recorded by Khemia Ensemble in spring 2021.