"It's a great honor to work with this incredible orchestra and in support of Lelio's legacy. Over the years I had the pleasure to work with Lelio within his community of Palermo and greater Sicilia. The last time was a little over a year before his passing when we toured Sicily together for a week culminating in a recording session with Eva Geraci and Alessandro Librio. This album was published on Astral Spirits as part of my Astral Traveling Series a month before Lelio died. In December, 2021, I was invited by Curva Minore to participate in the first annual Solo per Lelio Festival. This included a duo concert with Jean-Marc Montera and a multi-day workshop that also culminated in a performance. The idea of me filling in as a transitional guida for the orchestra was born from that process which resulted in time spent with members of the Orchestra and, most importantly, with Lelio's family in Palermo.

The orchestra's modus operandi is to function under the leadership of a visiting artist. In the spring of 2022 I was invited to spend three weeks facilitating a collaborative process with the orchestra and to record for this eventual release. My process was similar to any workshop I may give which is always a structured improvisation in and of itself. In this case, the most important factor was to utilize the incredible breadth of experience of the individual members of the orchestra to explore the nature of Lelio's vision and his personal and artistic significance to the arts community, both locally and globally. Thank you to everyone involved for such profound trust in me and the overall process!" - Thollem McDonas