PROGRAM NOTES:At this moment (2024), there is a lot to take in and reflect upon. No Rest for the Wicked is an effort to exorcise the demons, to shake them off, to dance them into another dimension—in response to feeling powerless amidst multiple global catastrophes. The phrase has numerous connotations: the biblical threat of consequences for the ill-willed; being compelled to work beyond your capacity (often for the capitalist machine); a joke honoring the “wicked” talents of Hinge, the Boston-based quartet for whom this piece was written; but I personally like to think of it as a call to action. We cannot be complacent if we want to build a healthier, post-imperial world where people self-actualize through community care and solidarity.