Why I Avoid Eye Contact (from Small Talk: A Very Short Song Cycle): Piano Vocal

This song distills social anxiety into five pages of genuine musical substance. Rather than relying on comedic exaggeration, Stitt crafts something that resonates because it's honest about the discomfort of human interaction. The writing rewards careful attention to text and subtext, making it ideal for singers learning to build character from the inside out.

There's a carefully controlled energy to this piece, like someone managing their breathing in an uncomfortable room. The music walks a fine line between dark comedy and genuine pathos, never quite tipping into either extreme. You emerge from it understanding loneliness that's both deeply personal and widely recognizable.

Singers developing art song technique and interpretive maturity will find substantial material here. This works equally well in voice lessons, recital programs, or competitions where contemporary repertoire with literary merit is valued.

• Commit to the stillness the title suggests. Physical restraint often communicates more than gesture when the emotional content is about avoidance.
• Treat the piano part as a scene partner rather than accompaniment. Notice where it mirrors or contradicts what you're singing, and let those moments inform your interpretive choices.
• Find specificity in the lyrical details. What exact moment of awkwardness is this song about? Build your performance around that particular image.
• Balance vulnerability with the character's defenses. The humor lives in the gap between what's being felt and what's being expressed.

Pair this with other songs from the cycle for a cohesive program statement about modern social experience, or use it as a standalone piece that humanizes the anxieties your audience already knows. Its modest length makes it an excellent recital filler that packs genuine dramatic weight.

• Text interpretation and subtext work in contemporary classical repertoire
• Coordinating vocal phrasing with piano texture and harmonic movement
• Performing comedy and vulnerability simultaneously without undermining either
• Character building in music without relying on large dramatic gestures