list of works
Three for Summer's End (2010) on the poetry of Bertha Rogers
for Mezzo Soprano and String Trio
Performances scheduled for July 29 and 30, 2010, at the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire, Janny Baty - Mezzo Soprano. Duration ca. 9 min.
Fashionable Chamber Events (2010) for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola and Harp
Performances scheduled for July 29 and 30, 2010, at the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire. Duration ca. 8 min.
Con Fuoco (2010) for Brass Quintet
Premiere performance, April 5, 2010 by the Amalgam Brass Ensemble, Durham, North Carolina. Duration ca. 7 min. Program Notes
This piece relies heavily upon short building blocks that are pieced together in various ways to create a series of ever-changing textures through which a dramatic musical narrative is allowed to unfold in a logical yet somewhat unpredictable manner. These figurations are introduced in the opening of the piece as repetitions of a single note that, when placed in close combinations, create a textural background fabric against which the longer, legato lines (of the two conical bore instruments) are able to distinguish themselves.
As the piece continues and the motivic fragments begin to take on a more complex pitch profile, the handing off of melodic material between two or more parts to creates a sort of contrapuntal braiding that winds its way through the entire ensemble. After an initial climax, the rhythmic profile of the individual fragments becomes obscured (by rhythmic unpredictability and timbral masking through the use of various mutes) as the higher instruments of the ensemble are subjected to a sort of working out of rhythmic conflicts before building back up to an intense texture in which the trumpets engage in close, hocketed pairings over a series of ever-rising (and thus intensifying) parallel six-four triads. Once this material reaches a point in which it can no longer sustain itself, it crests, and the lines fall back into a turbulent texture of densely woven counterpoint. The individual parts continue to churn against one another until gradually reaching a point in which the top four instruments coalesce for the first time into a homophonic texture over sporadic, defiant gestures in the tuba before the entire ensemble recedes into the distance.
As Afternoon Fades (2010)
Part of the collaborative composition project Desert Miniatures, commissioned by Pianist Kathryn Christensen. Premiered March 7, 2010 at the Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, Tucson, Arizona. Duration ca. 2 min. Program Notes
This piece was written in early 2010 for pianist Kathryn Christensen for inclusion in a set of miniatures by a variety of composers who have a strong connection to Arizona. Having spent four years in Tucson (where I earned my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona), and eighteen years total living in Arizona, I have become all too familiar with both the joys and the burdens of living in the desert.
There is a remarkable phenomenon that takes place during the late summer months in Arizona. As the late afternoon—the hottest part of the day—gradually fades into the sunset hours, taking the intolerable heat with it, life in the desert slowly becomes bearable again, one small moment at a time. Often this alleviation is accompanied by the development of summer monsoon activity on the horizon. As threatening as an encroaching, potentially violent monsoon may be, there is something mystical about this collision of worlds, as the added moisture in the air helps to speed the relief from the heat. Only in Arizona can the threat of a storm be greeted with such sincere appreciation. This miniature is intended to capture the essence of this phenomenon as it naturally unfolds.
New Baroque-ish Miniatures (2010) for Flute and Violin
Premiered February 4, 2010 by the Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme], Biddle Music Building, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Duration ca. 6 min.
Circular Logic (2010) for solo Flute
The Star Sirius (2009) for SATB Choir and Piano
Premiere performance March 6 2010 by the new-music vocal ensemble Sospiro at the West Coast Conference of Music Theory and Analysis, Eugene, Oregon. Kathryn Longo - conductor. Duration ca. 4 min. Program Notes
A diamond in the sky at night,
Alone, afar:
Or bluish beacon, beaming bright,-
Canicula.
When winter wakes and world is white,
Then shines that star;
Supernal and sublimest sight,-
Canicula!
-Charles Nevers Holmes, 1923.
This work was commissioned by Sospiro (Eugene, Oregon), for inclusion on a program based on a winter theme. Having grown up in the desert of southern Arizona, my experiences of winter did not include traditional images of sleighs, hot cocoa, and snow, but crisp, clear desert nights where the glittering of Christmas lights on the neighborhood houses was complemented by a bright, starry sky.
The brightest of all the stars in the night sky, Sirius is part of the Canis Major constellation, which, along with the neighboring Canis Minor, is known in folklore as a hunting dog, assisting the nearby Orion. These three constellations are among the brightest and most recognizable images in the sky and are only visible (from the northern hemisphere) during winter months.
The name Sirius is a Greek word meaning “Dog star”. Charles Nevers Holmes makes use of the Latin “Canicula” in the 1923 poem used as the text for this piece.
Polymodal Transportation (2008, rev. 2009) for Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Premiere performance February 18, 2010, Duke University Wind Symphony, Verena Moesenbichler-Bryant - conductor, Durham, North Carolina. Duration ca. 5 min. Program Notes
This piece explores the superimposition of two different modes treated in various combinations. Each of these particular modes consists of an arrangement of intervals that differs from that found in the traditional church modes, thus designating them as synthetic modes. When the modes are combined, the resulting texture is one in which melodic lines don't exactly "fit" with the accompanying harmony, but instead offer occasional unexpected shifts in color. In the contrasting middle section of the piece, the orientation of the modes is flipped so that lower instruments of the ensemble take up the mode that started in the upper voices (and vice versa), opening up a whole new set of possibilities for intervallic combination.
There is a consistent, driving (excuse the pun) rhythmic motion throughout the piece that is carried out through incessant repetition of notes and motivic gestures. Each time the main theme appears, it becomes more complicated as imitative voices begin to crowd around it in a contrapuntal traffic jam that eventually develops into an intense frenzy.
Cascadian Variations (2009)
Chamber Orchestra
Premiere performance July 1, 2009, American Creators Ensemble, Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene, Oregon.
Sinfonia Concertante (2009) for Solo Horn and Chamber Orchestra
Premiere performance, May 22, 2009, Peter Yurkovich - Horn, Jamie Keesecker - conductor. Beall Hall, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 15 min.
Homage to the Hubble Space Telescope: Quartet for Clarinet, Trumpet, Viola and Cello (2008)
Premiere performance November 25, 2008, Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (ECCE), Eugene, Oregon. Subsequent performances February 12, 2009, Eugene, Oregon. April 1, 2009, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Duration ca. 14 min. Program Notes
The Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope is undoubtedly one of mankind's greatest
contributions to the cause of science. Publicly funded, it is an indispensable research tool that
also serves the greater good by offering the general public truly spectacular images of our distant
surroundings. I have long been fascinated and awed by pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope
and decided to write this piece upon learning that in late 2008, the telescope would be serviced for
the last time (this mission has since been postponed until 2009).
I. What Lies Beyond
This movement explores the notion introduced in 1946 by American theoretical physicist
Lyman Spitzer that a space-based telescope would produce much greater, more detailed results
than ground-based telescopes in use at the time. The physics behind such an idea were not
difficult to comprehend, but the exact nature of the results would essentially remain an unknown
until the Hubble Space Telescope was launched decades later. While scientists and engineers
were working out the technical aspects of building a space-based telescope, officials at NASA
took on the deeply challenging task of convincing the United States Congress that such an
endeavor was worthy of taxpayer investment. Over the course of this period, many individuals
devoted themselves to a massive project, all the while under a certain cloud of mystery with
regard to what mankind would be able to learn from the result of their efforts.
II. Interlude
III. Starburst Regions
The term starburst region refers generically to a region in space in which an abnormally large
number of stars are contained within a relatively small area. The images of these regions of space
are among the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring pictures the Hubble Space Telescope has
produced. The music of this movement is intended to reflect the sparkling, effervescent character of these
images along with feelings of wonder and fancy.
IV. Interlude
V. The Ultra Deep Field
This is the only movement that relates to a specific image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is the deepest visible-light photograph ever taken into space. It is a
composite image consisting of hundreds of exposures that captured light as it emanated from its
originating objects 13 billion years ago. This means that it is also, in a sense, the oldest
photograph ever taken, offering a view of the universe when it was in its infancy. (The universe is
believed to be approximately 13.7 billion years old, give or take a couple hundred million years).
This image, spanning an area of the sky roughly the size of a grain of sand held at arm's length,
contains around ten thousand visible galaxies of varying shape, size, and color.
This movement is as much about the objects in the image as it is about the 13 billion light years
that separate them from our own solar system. Numbers of this magnitude can be difficult to
conceptualize, and such a great distance cannot in any meaningful way be compared to our
everyday notions of distance and physical space. These concepts are explored in this movement
through broad musical gestures and long, expansive phrase structures.
Colored Hats (2008) Based on excerpts from the poem Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein
Soprano Voice, Flute, Viola, Cello, Harp, Marimba, Perc.
Premiere performance October 10, 2009, Percussia, New York, New York. Duration ca. 3 min.
Program Notes
The poetry of Gertrude Stein tends to rely on familiar patterns of speech that are combined and
juxtaposed in a way that the result appears to be purely nonsensical from a syntactical point of view.
Stein, in her so-called “nonsense poetry”, seems to be primarily concerned with the rhythm of the text
in conjunction with the natural timbral shapes created by the pronunciation of the words. In other
words, Stein’s poems are all about the sound of the English language. and the feelings that can be
conveyed simply through impression of speech. In this respect, Stein could be considered more of a
composer than a poet.
In these excerpts from Tender Buttons, there are moments of lyrical quality, as well as moments that
suggest a lighter or whimsical character. The intent of this piece is to bring out the musical aspects of
the poetry in a manner that is true to Stein’s work.
Excerpts from Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons: Objects, Food, Rooms
COLORED HATS.
Colored hats are necessary to show that curls are worn by an addition of blank spaces, this makes the
difference between single lines and broad stomachs, the least thing is lightening, the least thing means a little
flower and a big delay a big delay that makes more nurses than little women really little women. So clean is a
light that nearly all of it shows pearls and little ways. A large hat is tall and me and all custard whole.
COOKING.
Alas, alas the pull alas the bell alas the coach in china, alas the little put in leaf alas the wedding butter meat,
alas the receptacle, alas the back shape of mussle, mussle and soda.
CHICKEN.
Pheasant and chicken, chicken is a peculiar third.
CHICKEN.
Alas a dirty word, alas a dirty third alas a dirty third, alas a dirty bird.
CHICKEN.
Alas a doubt in case of more go to say what it is cress. What is it. Mean. Potato. Loaves.
CHICKEN.
Stick stick call then, stick stick sticking, sticking with a chicken. Sticking in a extra succession, sticking in.
Variations on an Original Theme for String Orchestra and Piano (2008)
Premiere performance August 8, 2008, Brevard North Carolina. Duration ca. 10 min.
The Tyger (2008)
Tenor Voice and Piano
Premiere performance July, 13, 2008, Brevard North Carolina. Subsequent performance February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 5 min.
Introduction and Fugue for String Sextet (2008)
2 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Cellos
Premiere performance February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 8 min.
Passacaglia for Orchestra (2008)
Orchestral reading session May 28, 2008, University of Oregon Symphony, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 9 min.
A Prelude (2008) Poem by Maurice Thompson
Mezzo-soprano Voice, Piano and Cello
Reading/recording session with Laurie Monahan February, 2008. Duration ca. 4 min.
The Impetuous Winds (2008)
Horn Quartet
Recording session with QUADRE, August 25, 2008. Premiere performance February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 5 min.
Scherzo Tactics (2008)
Flute/picc., Soprano Saxophone, Marimba, Celeste, Violin and Cello
Reading/recording session with Fireworks New Music Ensemble, Robert Kyr - conductor, January, 2008. Premiere performance February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon.
Duration ca. 5 min.
Trio (2007) for Flute, Violoncello and Piano
Premiere performance April 28, 2008, Oregon Composers Forum Concert Series, Eugene, Oregon.
Subsequent performances May 16, 2008, Chamber Music Series, University of Oregon, February 12, 2008, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon.
Duration ca. 16 min.
Metallophonic Spree (2007) for Balinese Gamelan
Premiere performance July 9, 2007, Pacific Rim Gamelan, Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. Duration ca. 5 min.
Upon Reflection (2007) for Horn sextet
Premiere performance April 25, 2007, Arizona Horn Festival, Crowder Hall, Tucson, Arizona.
Subsequent performances May 6, 2007, Knight Library "A Little Knight Music" Concert Series, University of Oregon, May 8, 2007, Oregon Composers Forum Concert Series, Eugene, Oregon, February 12, 2009, Chris Prosser - conductor, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 7 min.
Two Miniatures (2007) for Flute, Clarinet and Mandolin
Premiere performance February 7, 2007, Oregon Composers Forum Concert Series.
Subsequent performances, October 12, 2007, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon.
Duration ca. 3 min.
Rocket Space Rocket (2007) for three percussion soloists with Balinese Gamelan
Premiere performance January 30, 2007, Pacific Rim Gamelan with guest soloists SO Percussion, Vanguard Concert Series, Eugene, Oregon. Duration ca. 7 min.
Soliloquy & Impromptu (2006) for Euphonium and Piano
Premiere performance November 24, 2006, Oregon Composers Forum Concert Series, Eugene, Oregon.
Subsequent performances October 17, 2007, University of Arizona, February 12, 2009, Beall Concert Hall, Eugene, Oregon.
Duration ca. 7 min.
Two Poems (2005) for solo piano
Premiere performance July 8, 2007, Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. Performed by the composer. Duration ca. 6 min.
Rhapsody for Trumpet and Brass Ensemble (2005)
Solo Trumpet with Brass Ensemble consisting of 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium and Tuba.
Premiere performance June 22, 2005, New Works for Trumpet Concert, International Trumpet Guild Conference, Bangkok, Thailand. Jonathon Clarke (Hong Kong Philharmonic), soloist.
Subsequent performance, April 29, 2006, Edward Reid (Univ. of Arizona), soloist.
Duration ca. 10 min.
Three Bagatelles (2005) for Brass Quintet
Premiere performance, December 15, 2005, Tucson, Arizona
Duration ca. 8 min.
Brand New Shiny Plastic Things (2005) for Wind Ensemble
Premiere performance, November 22, 2005, University of Arizona Symphonic Band, Tucson, Arizona. Duration ca. 6 min.
Brass Quintet no. 2 (2005)
Premiere performance February 9, 2005, FivePlay Brass Quintet, Tucson, Arizona.
Duration ca. 12 min.
Sonatine for Piano (2004)
Premiere performance March 26, 2005, International Music Celebration Concert, Tucson, Arizona. Duration ca. 11 min.
Introduction and Fanfare (2004) for Brass Ensemble
4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone and Tuba.
Premiere performance, February 18, 2007, Oregon Brass Ensemble, University of Oregon.
Duration ca. 8 min. |
