Program Notes

Curiosity was one of my earliest works to grapple with humanity’s relationship to the natural world. In late 2011, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), based in my hometown, sent the rover Curiosity to Mars, from where it continues to send precious information back to Earth. That act of curiosity – of hope – was the starting point for this work.

The texts for Curiosity are drawn from two sources: The first is a list of stops the rover made as it traversed the Red Planet. Though these stops were only a few feet apart on Mars, many of them were named after places all over the Earth where the scientists involved in the mission conducted their early research – places that meant everything to the people who made the mission possible. These place names are interwoven with haikus submitted to an online competition by people around the world to commemorate the launch of Curiosity. I organized the text into emotional themes that emerged strongly from the haikus: starting with wonder, descending into fear, and ending with the desire to do no harm.

I had always wanted to adapt Curiosity for harp and chorus (the original version is for piano) – the otherworldly, celestial quality of the harp so beautifully interfaces with the human quality of the voices.

NB: Curiosity is the Part III of the larger work Earth Speaks, but it was actually written before the full work, as its own standalone work, and is often still performed that way.

Recording

Recording will be available in April 2026

Text

This piece draws its text from an online haiku competition for poems about the Mars rover Curiosity as well as stops on the map that Curiosity traversed. If you have programmed this piece and are looking for a full text to publish in the program, please contact us.

Premiere/Performances

This version of Curiosity for SATB chorus and harp was prepared specifically for Yolanda Kondonassis and Interlochen Arts Academy Chorus. It was premiered on October 15th 2025, at Corson Hall, Interlochen Arts Academy, with conductor Carter Smith.

The original work was commissioned by Pasadena Master Chorale. It was premiered on June, 29, 2015.

Press/Reviews

“I started thinking about how Pasadena has a lot of scientific institutions where the research that is done there is relevant through the entire world,” Esmail said. “I want people to come away being inspired by science and being inspired by history and maybe to be inspired to look into them a little bit further.” – San Gabriel Valley Tribune