Family Photos is a musical collage of personally significant places from my childhood. The first movement, “At the Carnival,” takes inspiration from the whimsy and spectacle of my neighborhood carnival. “On the Tehran Tower,” the second movement, incorporates elements of Iranian classical music, inspired by my childhood trips to visit family in Tehran. The third and final movement, “In Arcadia,” represents not only my hometown in the suburbs of Los Angeles, but also the Arcadia of Ancient Greek mythology, a heaven on Earth.