Featured Video: Arepo by Tyler Nechamkin

AREPO was premiered by the McKinney High School Percussion Ensemble. Inspired by the film Tenet, the work centers on the idea that time is nonlinear - it flows backward and forwards all at once. This is reflected in the structure of the piece. In ABCBA form, the piece travels forwards and then backward through its sections and ends the same way it begins.

Tenet itself takes inspiration from a five-word Latin palindrome called the Sator Square. The words in the Sator Square roughly translate like SATOR, to sow; AREPO, unknown; TENET, to hold; OPERA, work; ROTAS, rotate.

The namesake Arepo being of unknown origin inspires the enigmatic, dreamlike nature of the piece. The 5/4 meter, looping harmonic structure, disorienting melodies, and pulsing drums help contribute to a surreal and reflective experience for the audience.