<p><em>Performance</em> was composed in response to a commission from "Works & Process" at the Guggenheim Museum to honor the work of Australian poet Les Murray. I chose this particular poem because of its exuberant celebration of virtuosity, its suggestive language, and its vivid stellar imagery, the latter being the inspiration for the pointillistic constellations in the piano music. <em>Performance</em> is dedicated to Mary Sharp Cronson in gratitude for her support of contemporary music.</p><p><em>Jason Eckardt.</em><br /></p>