Masks is a metaphoric representation of a journey through several levels of consciousness. The experiential foundation for this was a dream, or series of dreams, I had several years ago. During this dream, I would realize that I was dreaming and force myself to wake up—only to end up in a completely different dream-world. This would occur several times, with each “waking” edging closer to my actual circumstances and surroundings. In essence, this describes the primary formal character of the piece. However, Masks is actually the inverse. It moves from “ordinary” consciousness, through several layers of sub-conscious experience (at the transition through each level another “mask” of acculturation and personality is removed), arriving at a deep, peaceful, center. Masks was created in the University of Michigan Electronic Music Studios, under the direction of Evan Chambers.