Nicky Sohn: The World According to... (2025)

Premiered on November 5, 2025 by University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra; Kenny Lee, conductor; Jamie Clark, cello This concerto was born out of the collision of worlds, between the values I was raised with and the expectations imposed on me when I married across cultures. I grew up believing that dignity and respect belonged to every person, regardless of gender or race. But I was confronted with traditions and behaviors that denied those values, experiences that left me feeling unsafe and silenced, especially in the political climate of the country I now call my second home. The first movement, Your Name, reflects the story of my family being pressed again and again for their “real names.” To deny that is not innocent curiosity, but an act rooted in prejudice, an erasure of dignity and identity. The second movement, The Devil Is a Good Liar, confronts the hypocrisy of someone who claimed to be a devout Christian, yet whose actions— lying, isolating, manipulating, and perpetuating harm— stood in direct opposition to the faith he professed. For me, this contradiction made him not godly at all, but closer to the devil himself. The final movement, Something Is Wrong, rises from the necessity of speaking out, even when it is uncomfortable or unresolved. It is an act of defiance to say aloud that silence is not acceptable. The piece ends not with resolution, but with a kind of sigh, acknowledging that the struggle continues. The World According to… is, ultimately, about reclaiming voice in the face of voices that tried to silence it. The cello speaks here as witness, as survivor, and as challenger. I would like to thank Jamie Clark and Kenny Lee for this wonderful opportunity to write for them, and for trusting me with the freedom to express my voice through this piece. Jamie and I have both worked hard as people, not as women, or as any label the world might want to impose, and it is through that persistence that we have become who we are today. I am also deeply grateful to my husband—for his support, and for being my partner as we navigate these hardships together.