In Moses and Monotheism, Freud says that an author's creative power does not always obey his will. Work proceeds as it can, and often presents itself to the author as something independent, or even alien.

The opening measures of Apollo's Touch came to me while I was writing a piece for soprano and orchestra, Phantom Screen. It was the beginning of the Gulf War, and at the time, I found it difficult to work on a piece for large forces. Instead, I found myself drawn to the more intimate, vulnerable sound of the vibraphone. I worked on Apollo's Touch slowly over a period of two years. From the start, this piece was something extraordinary. It arrived out of nowhere and revealed its needs at its own pace, hence the title, Apollo's Touch.

Apollo's Touch was commissioned by NUMUS through the Ontario Arts Council.