Essentia was written for vocalist Damian Norfleet at The Walden School's Creative Musicians Retreat 2024. Essentia a Latin term that translates to essence or being. In this piece, I am referring to the culturally prescribed feminine and masculine essences of a person’s identity. I ask the soloist to embody three essences; one “outside yourself” representing societal chatter, one “from your femininity”, and one “from your masculinity”. The piece wrestles with these essences over the course of four moods - Polarize, Unite, Release, and Relieve - which the performer interprets according to the interaction notated between each essence. To achieve these moods, the soloist needs to grapple with their identity, consider how outside voices shape their presentation, and realize the honest essence at their core.