Cenotes (2026) was commissioned by organist David von Behren and is based on his experience as a cave diver in Mexico. A “cenote” is a naturally occuring sinkhole where the collapse of a cave ceiling (limestone bedrock) has revealed the permanent groundwater. The Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico alone is estimated to have around 10,000 cenotes. The three movements of this work respond to the particular characters of three cenotes, as experienced from dives taken near Playa del Carmen and Tulum (and viewed via dive camera footage captured by David).

The beautiful “Aktun Ha” (the Mayan name for “water cave”) is also known as “Carwash” due to it being the former spot where the taxi drivers from Tulum-Cobá would wash their cars. The cenote is characterized by its evocative colors created by the play of light interacting with green algae in different seasons.

“Angelita” is located deep within the Tulum jungle and has been said to be one of the scariest places on earth. It is characterized by a large cloud of poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas created by rotting vegetation that has fallen into the hole (more than 60 meters deep). Above the cloud is fresh water, and below it is saltwater. Although the Spanish name for the cenote means “little angel,” it is also known as “the nightmare” and “the witch”—a place where creatures come to die.

“DreamGate” is known for the particularly beautiful views that come from its decorative stalagmites and stalactites (mineral deposits that grow up or down in small columns.) The cenote is part of Sistema Sac Actun, the largest underground system of rivers in the world.