The title of the song cycle A World Turned Upside Down comes from an entry in “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank, reflecting the sense she felt of her world being upturned when suddenly the threat of the Nazi regime touched her family during World War II.

The song cycle seeks to bring to life through music the frightening emotions and the sense of terror that Anne and her family felt as they tried to survive persecution amid the most dangerous of circumstances.