"A Matter of Time: Perseverancia"

Shelby Lock and Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble

FYC: Best Classical Instrumental Solo

“A Matter of Time: Perseverancia” is about hanging on when facing the impossible.

I initially composed "A Matter of Time: Perseverancia" about my personal journey learning to survive, live with, and eventually recover from a neuroimmune disease so debilitating I initially couldn't even sit up in a wheelchair for more than an hour at once. I premiered the solo piano version at the Kennedy Center in 2022.

Now, I've reimagined it for piano and string orchestra in an international collaboration with the Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble, conducted by GRAMMY®-winner Raniero Palm and GRAMMY® nominee Jesús David Medina.

With this new collaboration, following the devastating Venezuela earthquakes in June, the "perseverancia" subtitle takes on new meaning as Venezuelans now persevere to rebuild their country...

The Story Behind the Piece...

In 2019, around the time I started composing the original solo piano piece, my life was suddenly turned upside down. I caught a virus, and I didn't recover...

For the next five years, I was bedridden/couch-bound for 18 hours per day. At my sickest, I could only play piano for a few minutes at a time, and sound sensitivity meant I could barely do audio engineering work, either.

I was diagnosed with an incurable neuroimmune disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.). There are no FDA-approved treatments, and only 2–5% of those with M.E. ever fully recover. I was told to rest and wait and hope that I might get better––that recovery, if it ever happened, would be, "a matter of time." Hence, the name of the piece. 

Hope wasn't an easy thing to come by at first, but I kept composing "A Matter of Time," little by little, and found my own ways to continue with my life and career. I lay down every few minutes when practicing piano or composing. I rigged my mixing desk so that I could work mostly lying down. On the worst days, family would set up a recliner in my studio so I could fully lie down, hooked up to an IV, and still meet my mixing clients' deadlines. 

As the years went by, I persevered, and my health ever so gradually improved. Finally, in 2025, a combination of off-label medications and supplements took me from a wheelchair, to a walker, to now being able to work full-time in the accessible recording studio I founded: Silver Moon Sound in Santa Cruz, CA.

Seven years later, I've defied the odds and regained almost everything except my ability to exercise––all due to luck, perseverance, and lots of trial and error. To celebrate, this year I've reimagined "A Matter of Time," appending the Spanish word "perseverancia" to the title to reflect the tenacious journey to regain my life.

Time will always keep moving forward, and so will I. 

View the Full Score

"A Matter of Time: Perseverancia" presents a number of technical and artistic challenges for the players. The title is not only a reference to the story behind the piece, but also the frequent use of complex rhythmic ratios between piano and strings: quintuplets against sixteenths, triplets against sixteenths, sextuplets, and even a nonuplet (9:8).

Additional pianistic challenges include the cadenza in mm. 19-23, with acrobatic chords and octaves jumping down the keyboard. The diads in each hand––spanning both black and white keys simultaneously––require a high degree of technical skill to play smoothly and at the exact same time. Similarly, mm. 29-30 call for the ability to highlight the inner melody in some fingers and the accompaniment in other fingers.

Lastly, the second cadenza in mm. 63-64 demands a great degree of control. The pianist must play the rapid sextuplets in contrary motion between hands while speeding up and then slowing down, while keeping the hands perfectly in sync with each other.

Press and Features About "A Matter of Time: Perseverancia"

Spotify Editorial Playlist: New Classical

This editorially curated playlist is described as for "the very best new classical releases."

Podcast Interview: Stuck on Sound, by Joey Stuckey

To be released in October.

Stuck on Sound is "a podcast that delves into the world of sound, exploring its facets, including production, engineering, technology, and business. We also venture into the creative realm of sound, covering songwriting, recording, and performing. Additionally, we consistently focus on the evolving accessibility landscape within the sound and music industries. Hosted by Joey Stuckey, Stuck on Sound is a space where we embrace curiosity and go down exciting rabbit holes."

Podcast Interview: From the Couch, by Cory Wysz

To be released in August.

From the Couch is a podcast focused on art and chronic illness by multi-talented artist Cory Wysz, in partnership with the international non-profit ME Action Network.

The Full Team Behind The Piece

Pianist and Composer: Shelby Lock

Orchestrator: Joe Jaxson & Shelby Lock

Executive Producer: Alex Campos

Producers: Raniero Palm & Cristóbal “Tibo” Gajardo

Strings Conductor: Raniero Palm & Jesús David Medina

Record Label: Studio Seven Media

Violins: 

Jesús David Medina, Ornella Hernández, Yilmar Vivas, Marco Sayago, & Camila Valentina Chacón

Violas: 

Yilmar Vivas, Jesús David Medina & Ornella Hernández

Cellos: 

Atamaica Ruiz, Alex Rosales & Chiquinquirá Castro

Double Bass:

Eybar Serrano

Recording Engineer (Piano):

Shelby Lock

Recording Engineer Assistant (Piano):

Mary W. Blalock

Mixing and Mastering Engineer: 

Shelby Lock

Recording Engineer (Strings): 

Rubén Salas, Raniero Palm, Eybar Serrano, Luis Alejandro Bermúdez

Recording Engineer Assistant (Strings): 

Diego Deseo & Edisbeth Mariana Salas

Editing Engineer (Strings): 

Raniero Palm & Terry Useche

Recording Studios:

Piano: Silver Moon Sound, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Strings: The Music Embassy, San Cristóbal, Venezuela

Photographer: Molly Noori