Interview: Carolyn Yarnell on AMP commission “Sky Diving”
3/15/26
Multi-hyphenate composer and visual artist Carolyn Yarnell shares insights into her solo piano piece “Sky Diving,” inspired by the titular poem by Nikki Giovanni. “Sky Diving” was commissioned by AMP for American Mavericks Project Vl. 1 Quest—a celebration of Black Arts Movement poetry by Dudley Randall, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni and Naomi Long Madgett, through the lens of new piano music by Carolyn Yarnell, Jeremiah Evans, Adolphus Hailstork, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Joyce Solomon Moorman and Anthony R. Green. Quest will premiere on March 20th at the DuSable Black History museum in Chicago.
How did the compositional process unfold for “Sky Diving”? What surprised you? What challenged you?
“Sky Diving” generated a lot of material, and I’m still working with it. The music on the whole, reflects this phrase “I shall tumble into deep, space never in this form or with this feeling, to return to earth” - the music moves forward through the verses, never returning to a single theme or feeling. It was challenging because the words can be interpreted in so many ways. I really love this multifaceted poem and tried my best to reflect its essence. It was surprisingly hard!
How do you interpret the poem and what about it resonates with you? How were you able to “translate” its meaning through music?
There were certain trigger words - sky, universe, off-key, too loud, tumble, deep space, never in this form or with this feeling, spiral, black hole, (not tragic), soul, galaxy, “I dream of you” This version of “Sky Diving” ends at line “Landing in the next galaxy with only my essence embracing myself as” - the last line, “I Dream of YOU” comes later - to be continued…
You are a visual artist as well as a composer, and your music often incorporates visual elements. Did you have particular visuals in mind during the compositional process? If you were to create visuals for this piece, what would they be?
Many times the music and visual ideas do not appear linearly at the same time, sometimes separated by years, existing in a timeless space. I was not thinking visually during the composition process, but it seems that I’ve already have created a piece of art for this piece, at least to me they are of the same material. The art is a photographic dreamscape.
Have you ever used a poem as inspiration for an instrumental piece? How does it differ from setting words to music?
Yes, The fourth movement of my symphony was inspired by the poem “Enemy Moon” by Raphael Alberti (1902-1999). The movement is loosely structured on the mood, and the last line of the poem is articulated in Morse Code by the orchestra, sounding like a gigantic typewriter. I think the music to “Sky Diving” would be totally different setting the words to be sung. I’d like to do that in the future.
What projects are you currently working on and what’s next for 2026?
My current projects include the Kingsford Commision from the ASCAP Foundation for writing a new art song for voice and piano, for Strange and Beautiful Music, an upcoming premiere of my new piece “to God we Belong” from a larger interdisciplinary work “Drawing the Line for Palestine” - (it’s basically a prayer for peace). I’m working on a piano concerto “Arrow through Heart”, and have an upcoming Loghaven Artist Residency (Sept-Nov 26)