Traveling musicians often have the opportunity to experience the world through a different lens than the average tourist. It is the difference between staying in someone’s grandparents’ home and sharing a home-cooked meal versus checking into a major hotel and eating at a familiar chain restaurant. I’ve always believed the best way to understand another culture is through its hospitality, its food, and its music.

In 2011, about a year after the devastating earthquake, I traveled to Haiti as part of a tour with a konpa band. Upon landing at Aéroport International Toussaint Louverture, the effects of the disaster were impossible to ignore. Tent cities stretched across parts of Port-au-Prince, and reminders of hardship seemed to be everywhere. Yet the longer I stayed, the more another Haiti began to emerge. I saw brightly painted tap-tap buses weaving through the streets, vibrant artwork covering walls and storefronts, and a people whose warmth and generosity shone through even the most difficult circumstances.

That trip changed me. I learned about resilience and strength. I learned how hope can exist alongside hardship and how art and music can become powerful expressions of joy, identity, and perseverance.

Haiti’s history is one of extraordinary courage. In 1804, it became the first independent Black republic in the world and remains the only nation founded through a successful revolt of enslaved people. Its fight for independence challenged the notion that slavery was inevitable and inspired movements for freedom across the Americas. That hard earned freedom came at an enormous cost, and Haiti has continued to face tremendous challenges throughout its history. Yet time and again, its people have responded with compassion, creativity, music, color, and an unbreakable spirit.

Otaj an Ayiti—“Hostage in Haiti”—draws inspiration from those experiences and contrasts. This work is ultimately not about being held hostage by people, but about the moments in life when we all feel held hostage by fear, uncertainty, or circumstances beyond our control. Even in those moments, we can choose hope. We can choose compassion. We can choose to create.

The music unfolds like two opposing personalities. One is dark, tense, and uncertain; the other is joyful, vibrant, and full of life. Throughout the work, you’ll hear rhythms inspired by Haiti’s rich musical traditions, including the infectious pulse of konpa and echoes of rara processions that fill the streets with drums, horns, and celebration. Together, these contrasting voices tell a story not of despair, but of resilience—a portrait of a people whose spirit continues to shine through every challenge.