Six Degrees

Instrumentation: two to six instrumentalists of any kind

Duration: ~4 minutes

The self-isolation and quarantine measures required to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have forced many around the world to separate from their work, social lives, and usual activities. These changes, though necessary, can surely cause feelings of incredible loneliness and hopelessness. Despite these difficulties, the inherent nature of epidemiology points to an underlying wellspring of hope: viral spread is made possible only by the vast network of deeply meaningful human relationships that make up our world. We are susceptible because our sense of community, our fundamental interconnection, and our unflinching togetherness define us as a people and a species.

The idea of “six degrees of separation” is that all people are, at most, six social connections away from each other. These connections hold us steadfast through difficult times and even in isolation provide a network of support. Through Six Degrees, musicians are invited to engage their connections with each other and with their audiences in the hopes that even one person’s day may brighten.