“Prima respira” is a celebration of consonance, comfort, and contentment. I spent the fall of 2019 studying abroad in Milan, getting to know myself better as a composer, singer, and individual. Using simple, repeated arpeggiation as a backdrop, “Prima respira” combines the sounds that permeated my time in Milan: my host brother’s daily piano improvisation, my friend’s favorite shimmery chords, rain falling on the tin roof of my homestay. The piece has also been a personal reminder for me to pause and — in the words of my Italian voice teacher — “breathe first.”