The La Jolla Symphony and Chorus will debut a composition titled "Frozen Grief" in its upcoming concerts on Dec. 3 and 4.
San Diego composer Sang Song said a psychological theory known as ambiguous loss inspired the piece.
Pauline Boss, Ph.D., an emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota, introduced the theory that there are certain losses that don't have closure so the grief stays with us.
"You may recall at the beginning of the pandemic, people were dying because of COVID-19 and yet they were not getting proper funerals because of health concerns," Song said. "Some students had to graduate without getting a proper graduation ceremony, and according to Professor Boss, that could result in ambiguous losses and therefore frozen grief."
Song is the winner of this year’s Nee Commission, named in honor of longtime artistic director Thomas Nee, and granted to up-and-coming UC graduate student composers.
He wrote his new work specifically for the players in the La Jolla Symphony.
Song joined Midday Edition on Thursday to talk about his work and its unexpected theatrical elements.
"Frozen Grief" will be performed for the first time on Dec. 3 and 4 as part of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus’s “Passionate Voices” program.
