Almost Alice-Theresa Martin

Program Notes
Almost Alice was inspired by a quote from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I set the text to a
melody in dialogue between first and second violins in measures 142-159. The dialogue reads:
Absolem (Caterpillar): Who are you?
Alice: I thought we'd settled this. I'm Alice, not that one.
Absolem: How do you know?
Alice: You said so yourself.
Absolem: I said you were not hardly Alice. But you're much more her now. In fact, you're almost
Alice.
Alice: Even so, I couldn't slay the dragon if my life depended on it.
Absolem: It will.
The quote reminded me that we all feel lost sometimes, but we may be more capable than we
realize. This especially applies to young people who are struggling to know who they are or
where they are going. Our experiences throughout life, our successes and failures, are all
attempts at trying to find ourselves, reach our goals and dreams, and give meaning to our lives.
Being “Almost Alice” means you are close to your full potential. It takes time, perseverance, and
sometimes a change in perspective to recognize that you are Almost Alice and then to actually
become the true Alice.
Almost Alice was commissioned in 2018 through a Consortium with Ohlendorf Honor Orchestra,
Arizona State University Philharmonia, California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley, Four
Seasons Youth Orchestra, and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. It is scored for chamber
orchestra, and the duration is approximately 4:45.