The Time Before We Became Strangers (2015) – View in online store
Written for Ensemble Mise-En
Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Trombone, Violin, and Bass
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: May 18, 2015 | Ensemble Mise-En
Program Notes
The Time Before We Became Strangers was written in the spring of 2015. At the time I wrote the piece, I was also working on a large dance project, and both the rhythmic and theatrical aspects of ballet have influenced this smaller composition. To me, the music depicts a vignette: two strangers meet, have an intense relationship, and part ways almost as if their whole involvement was imagined during a brief moment where they pass by one another on the street.
Evensong (2014) – View in online store
Written for Bonnie McAlvin, Emily Vold, and Manon Hutton-DeWys
Instrumentation: Flute, Violin, and Piano
Duration: 14:00
Premiere: December 2, 2014 | Bonnie McAlvin, Emily Vold, and Manon Hutton-DeWys
Program Notes
Evensong was written in the fall of 2014 for Bonnie McAlvin, Emily Vold, and Manon Hutton-DeWys. The work was a bit of a stretch for me in a number of ways. Bonnie’s speciality is multiphonics, where two or more pitches are produced simultaneously on the flute. Not a flutist myself, I had very little knowledge about that technique, so it was a great opportunity to learn more. Eventually, I combined some sketches I had written for Bonnie with some for an earlier, abandoned work to create the melodic and harmonic material for the piece.
Early in the compositional process, though, an image appeared in my head of the three players surrounding the piano, dipping their hands to the strings in choreographed motions and producing mysterious and ethereal noises. This became the literal starting point of the piece, and the work as a whole represents a gradual move from that abstract sound world focused on timbre into the more familiar realms dominated by pitch and rhythm.
You, As You Were Before You Existed (2014) – View in online store
Written for the Cadillac Moon Ensemble
Instrumentation: Violin and Cello
Duration: 10:00
Premiere: March 10, 2015 | Cadillac Moon Ensemble
Program Notes
This work was inspired by Pablo Neruda’s poem “Every Day You Play” from Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. The poem (one of the twenty concerning love) is filled with mysterious yet evocative phrases, and I was particularly fascinated with a line at the end of the second stanza: “Oh let me remember you as you were before you existed”. The words resonated with an idea for a piece that had been gestating in the back of my mind. My initial concept was of a melody that gradually emerged from chaos and was transformed over time, eventually reaching an emotional climax far removed from the tumult of the opening. In this duet for violin and cello, I have left the meaning of that transformation ambiguous, mirroring my own reading of Neruda’s text. Who is the “you” of whom Neruda writes, and how could he remember someone before they existed? Is his beloved’s true identity what she has become or the inherent potential she had before she “existed”?
Rituals and Superstitions (2013) – View in online store
Written for the Vigil Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute/Alto Flute and Percussion
Duration: 12:00
Premiere: Oct. 11, 2013 | Vigil Ensemble
Program Notes
Rituals and Superstitions grew out of the first movement, which involves a call and response exchange between the two players. The processional aspects of that music reminded me of a prehistoric ritual and brought to mind the role sound can play in religion, spirituality, and even magic. The other two movements approach that idea from different angles, exploring the space between fantasy and faith.
Beyond the Fields We Know (2013) – View in online store
Written for the Vigil Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute/Alto Flute, Cello, and Marimba
Duration: 9:30
Premiere: Apr. 10, 2013 | Vigil Ensemble
Continuities (2012) – View in online store
Written for the Seasons Fall Music Festival
Instrumentation: Woodwind Quintet
Duration: 4:00
Premiere: Oct. 19, 2012 | The Seasons Woodwind Quintet
Program Notes
Continuities is a short, quirky little piece. Moments of extreme stasis are juxtaposed with flurries of activity, creating a herky-jerky push and pull of momentum. Despite the blockiness of the music, there are small lines that tie the instruments together into a unified fabric, and there are longer trajectories that bind the disjunct sections into a deeply bound whole. In particular, it is possible to trace one one important path weaving from the bassoon tones at the opening upward through the ensemble to the closing flute solo.
Prayers and Dances (2012)
Instrumentation: Oboe, Violin, Cello, Piano
Duration: 6:00
Interested in premiering this work? Please contact me!
Program Notes
Prayers and Dances was written in 2012 while a family member was undergoing cancer treatment, so the idea of prayer was forefront in my mind. I wanted to combine this with something more celebratory, so a number of dance elements are also included. The composition is not just a collection of discrete ‘prayer’ or ‘dance’ sections, but rather includes musical ideas that in some way blend the two concepts. The opening estampie and the contrapuntal conclusion of the piece are both based on a reworking of the hymn tune “Amazing Grace”, while the more meditative contrasting material is derived from the opening of Chopin’s Barcarolle, Op. 60.
Half Turn to Go Yet Turning Stay (2012) – View in online store
Written for the Mivos Quartet
Instrumentation: String Quartet
Duration: 5:00
Premiere: May 21, 2012 | Mivos Quartet
Program Notes
The title for this work came from a single line of the Christina Rossetti poem “Remember me when I am gone away”. That one image – a woman with her lover moving to leave, yet remaining still – struck me as being particularly poignant within the rather dark tone of the sonnet as a whole. The music reflects that sort of nostalgia in the accompanied cello solo of the opening, while the idea of turning away and turning back develops into the swirling chaos and disjointed sliding of later sections.
Twisted Blue (2011) – View in online store
Orchestral version commissioned by the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation: Clarinet and Piano (alt.: Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra)
Duration: 16:00
Program Notes
Twisted Blue was written for clarinetist Dan Liptak to perform with the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra conducted by Erberk Eryilmaz. The title comes from the bluesy progression that forms the basis of the second movement, which was in fact composed first in a few frantic fall afternoons. The opening movement followed, and then the finale.
First Praise (2011) – View in online store
Written for the Cygnus Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Violin, Cello, Guitar, and Mandolin
Alternate Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano
Duration: 6:30
Premiere: May 1, 2012 | Cygnus Ensemble
Program Notes
First Praise was inspired by a William Carlos Williams poem of the same name. The poem includes evocative phrases “dusk-wood fastnesses”, a “crisp splintering leaf-tread”, and “rivers strewn with stones”, creating a set of vivid nature vignettes. This music represents an attempt to capture some of the distinct imagery and sensual sounds of that work.
Certain Octobers (2010) – View in online store
Written for the Seasons Fall Music Festival
Winner of the College Music Society National Conference Student Award
Instrumentation: Piano Trio
Duration: 7:30
Premiere: June 15, 2011 | ICE
Program Notes
Certain Octobers was inspired by a poem of the same name by Irish poet Jo Slade. The poem is comprised of four separate sections dealing with memories of a deceased child. Those memories are triggered and filtered through imagery of fall, moving through various dark emotions until a sort of resignation is returned to. In this piano trio, I have tried to capture the sense of journey and ambiguous catharsis expressed in Ms. Slade’s words.
Shatter Moments (2010)
Written for the Cygnus Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Violin, Cello, and Two Guitars
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: May 17, 2011 | Cygnus Ensemble
Program Notes
Shatter Moments is a reflection on the multiple universes theory. That idea postulates that whenever a decision must be made or a certain event might happen, universes corresponding to all possible outcomes come into being. In such instances, one reality shatters into multiple possible realities. These moments then are very significant for the world and for the individual. Regardless of whether true or not, the idea that somewhere a world exists where a specific negative event never happened, or a poor decision was never made, or a missed opportunity was seized, can be comforting at times.
Insomnia Dance (2010) – View in online store
Written for the Cortona Sessions
Instrumentation: Flute and Piano
Duration: 6:00
Premiere: June 26, 2010 | Laura Marsh, flute; Breanna Ellison, piano
Program Notes
Insomnia Dance tries to capture the tossing and turning of nights when vivid dreams and half-remembered stresses sneak into the semi- conscious mind. Two main ideas circle throughout the work: slow, ominous piano chords juxtaposed with long flute lines and fast, slightly off-balance rhythmic dance sections. The latter gradually takes over , and the music works into a frenzy before finally exhausting itself.
Three Pieces for the Anatolian Trio (2010) – View in online store
Commissioned by the Anatolian Trio
Instrumentation: Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: May 9, 2010 | Anatolian Trio
Program Notes
Three Pieces for the Anatolian Trio was written for three Hartt School students/alums in 2010. Each piece is short, with a distinct identity: a fugue whose subject is an almost-twelve tone row, an elegy (based on a miniature composed almost two years prior to the other movements), and a perpetual motion finale using the chromatic row hinted at in the fugue. Though intended as a set, the movements can be performed individually.
Fedora (2009) – View in online store
Commissioned by Joe D’Aleo
Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone and Piano
Duration: 6:30
Premiere: Dec. 18, 2010 | Sheri Brown, saxophone; Anastasia Seifetdinova, piano
Program Notes
Fedora was written in 2009 for Joe D’Aleo. The music vaguely reminds me of a film noir detective, slouching around in a trench coat and hat – hence the title. After a punchy introduction, the piano begins to play a repeated, highly chromatic four-measure ostinato that provides the basis for most other material in the work. Sections follow in an arch form: the fast opening material is followed by a slow lyrical section, then a more jazzy type of music, followed by a variation of the slow music and a return to the excitement of the opening.
String Quartet No. 2 (2009)
Written for the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival
Instrumentation: String Quartet
Duration: 10:00
Premiere: July 21, 2009 | Devil’s Knob String Quartet
Program Notes
String Quartet No. 2 was written for the 2009 Wintergreen Music Festival held in Virginia. Loosely structured in sonata form, the piece opens with an energetic, dance-like theme later answered by a more delicate and lyrical idea that leads directly into a development of the opening melody. Material from the second theme creeps in, triggering a series of quickly changing moods that culminates in a false recapitulation. Here, the varied third statement of the opening theme reappears and is intensified. The second theme follows, in a more fully realized form than that of the exposition. Only after that idea is developed does the music truly return to the first theme as stated in the opening. An expansion and intensification of that material forms the climax and conclusion of the work.
Black Sails (2009) – View in online store
Commissioned by Mike Lunoe
Instrumentation: Percussion Duet
Duration: 11:00
Premiere: Aug. 6, 2009 | Mike Lunoe and Bill Solomon
Program Notes
The title Black Sails evokes two very contrasting images for me: the myth of Tristan and Isolde, and…. pirates. In some versions of the Tristan myth, as Tristan lies dying, he waits for new that his love Isolde the Fair is returning to him on approaching ship. He asks a female companion (sometimes his wife or would-be lover, coincidentally name Isolde of the White Hands) if the sails on the ship are white (meaning Isolde is coming) or black (meaning she refused to come). Though the sails are white, Tristan’s ‘other woman’ tells him they are black out of jealousy. He despairs and soon dies of a broken heart. The imagery of the approaching ship and the spite of Isolde of the White Hands were the original inspiration of the piece. Yet, the thought of pirates quickly crept in. Either way, dark emotions and ominous intensity are mixed with nautical images in the music.
A Fragment Unfurled (2008) – View in online store
Instrumentation: Woodwind Quintet
Duration: 3:30
Premiere: May 29, 2009
Program Notes
A Fragment Unfurled is based on a very brief melodic idea that is gradually revealed over the course of the piece. The work uses only the five pitches of that melody: E, F#, G, A, and B (all in one octave). In addition to the melodic unfolding that occurs, the piece represents a prolongation and expansion of the initial F#, which is always being played by at least one instrument until the last chord. The four remaining pitches of the melody are gradually introduced around that central F#, creating a slowly changing sonic landscape out of which the melodic voices eventually emerge.
Letters You Never Wrote, No. 6 (2008)
Commissioned by the Hartt Community Division
Instrumentation: Two Flutes and Two Clarinets in B-flat
Duration: 3:00
Premiere: May 24, 2008 | Tangential Winds
Program Notes
I composed Letters You Never Wrote, No. 6 for the Tangential Winds, a Hartt Community Division chamber ensemble coached by Rich Cangro. The title seems to imply that this piece is the sixth in a series – it’s not. The series is rather an imaginary set of letters, for which I have composed only a couple pieces. When I was younger, I had a friend who became very ill and was in the hospital for an extended time. I wrote him a letter every day for over a month. I don’t know if he ever got them, but even if he did, he never wrote back. The situation evoked a lot of complex emotions for me, some of which I have tried to capture in the few pieces of the set I have written. No. 6 focuses on regret.
Eternity Falls from My Feet (2007)
Instrumentation: Percussion Quartet
Duration: 5:00
Premiere: Nov. 17, 2007 | Hartt Percussion Studio
Program Notes
Eternity Falls from My Feet is part of a seven movement work for orchestra. In addition to movements for the full orchestra, there are also stand-alone movements that feature each section of the orchestra individually. The is a reference to William Blake’s poem “Auguries of Innocence”.
Three Miniatures (2007)
Instrumentation: Piccolo and Flute Duet
Alternate Instrumentation: Clarinet and Bass Clarinet Duet
Duration: 5:00
Premiere: Mar. 7, 2012 | Dahlia Flute Duo
Transformations (2007)
Instrumentation: Flute and Bassoon
Duration: 7:30
Premiere: May 29, 2009 | Abby Walsh, flute; Cindy Mickens, bassoon
Program Notes
This series of five miniatures was inspired by Anne Sexton’s collection of poetry by the same name. In that book, Sexton uses traditional fairy tales as the basis for very modern explorations of dark social themes. The stark contrast between her blunt and forceful language and the rose-colored imagery commonly (though not historically) associated with fairly tales creates a jarring effect. Though none of the pieces in my Transformations are programmatic depictions of Sexton’s poems or the fairy tales on which they are based, each miniature is a reflection on imagery or emotions evoked by her powerful words.
Between Memory and Dream (2007)
Commissioned by Joe D’Aleo and Daniel Mumbauer
Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone and Baritone Saxophone Duet
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: Nov. 17, 2007 | Joe D’Aleo, alto; Daniel Mumbauer, baritone
Program Notes
Psychologists have noted that the things you think about before falling asleep can act as a bridge between memory and dream, connecting these two different (but related) mental states. Those moments of twilight between the waking world and the sleeping one can be a very surreal time. This piece is inspired by that Bardo-like state where it is hard to tell what is real or imagined, present or past.
A Patio Conversation Through Glass (2007)
Instrumentation: Piano and Percussion
Duration: 5:00
Premiere: May 11, 2007 | Laura Garritson, piano; Bill Solomon, percussion
Program Notes
While sitting in a coffee shop last spring, I noticed a girl crying on the patio outside. I watched her through the window for a while, wondering why she was so upset. A young man was sitting at the table with her, his back to me so I could not see if he was sharing her emotions. I was struck by the strange poignancy of the situation: this couple probably having a fight, possibly breaking up while I watched them, completely removed from whatever was actually passing between them. Seeing them brought up memories of similar situations I had been in, yet I knew intellectually that my interpretation of what was going could have been completely wrong.
The image of that scene seemed particularly relevant while writing this piece. I have projected parts of my own thoughts and emotions in the notation on the page, yet what the music is really about – what is really happening – is left up to the performers on a very concrete level.
Tar on Wood (2007) – View in online store
Commissioned by Uncanny Valley
Instrumentation: Cello and Percussion
Duration: 9:30
Premiere: Mar. 28, 2008 | Uncanny Valley
Program Notes
The title,
Tar on Wood, comes from a piece of art that once hung in the Wadsworth Athenaeum. The work quite literally is a large rectangle of wood that can be hung vertically or horizontally, on which tar has been brushed on in large strokes evoking Asian calligraphy. The abstract expression of the work is captivating and provides almost endless interest depending on what you choose to focus on.
In this music, I have tried to capture the relationship between the wood grain and the tar found in the artwork. Either could be viewed as focus or background depending on one’s mood, yet both are essential for the expression of the piece. Through the interactions between the cello and percussion mirror that symbiosis.
Trilogy (2007)
Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Viola, Cello, Piano, and Percussion
Duration: 13:00
Premiere: April 5, 2008 | Performance 20/20
Program Notes
The three movements of this Trilogy represent different snapshots of a love affair. The first embodies the intensity of a whirlwind meeting, the unexpected and sudden rush of connecting with someone you feel as if you’ve known forever. Yet it is over before it’s really begun, leaving confusion in its wake. The second movement deals with the ruins left after such emotional roller-coaster rides, moving from a dark and contemplative opening to a bittersweet finish that leads directly into the final movement. This conclusion continues the journey toward resolution and closure, moving through a dream-like montage filled with surreal recollections of the preceding material.
The Best Kiss is Always Good-bye (2007)
Instrumentation: Clarinet, Violin, and Cello
Duration: 1:30
Premiere: Oct. 12, 2007 | New York Miniaturist Ensemble
Does the Forest… (2006)
Instrumentation: Guitar Quartet or Guitar Orchestra
Duration: 4:30
Premiere: June 2, 2006 | Hartt Suzuki Guitar Orchestra
The Confusion of Movement with Progress (2006)
Instrumentation: Viola and Guitar
Duration: 5:00
Premiere: March 8, 2013 | Alturas Duo
Program Notes
The idea for this piece came from a character created by the author Christopher Moore. A number of his books take place in San Francisco, and a man who believes himself to be its emperor wanders in and out of many stories. In one such novel, the emperor makes an insightful comment about how motion and activity are not always synonymous with progress. That idea seems particularly relevant to today’s society, and I wanted to explore it musically in this piece.
Times of Speaking and Silence (2006) – View in online store
Instrumentation: Piano Trio
Duration: 6:00
Premiere: July 9, 2006 | Ernest Bloch Festival Chamber Ensemble
Program Notes
Times of Speaking and Silence was written for the Ernest Bloch Music Festival in Newport, OR, where it was premiered in July 2006. The title is derived from the form of the piece: though there are few instances where complete silence is heard, each individual player has sections where he/she is either performing a solo, acting as part of a tutti, or resting while another performer has a solo.
The title also makes reference to a verse from Ecclesiastes, which elaborates on the idea that every action has its own time or season. There are times when one should speak out and times when one should refrain from speaking. However, the verse does not tell the reader which of those situations is appropriate at any given instance. It is up to each individual must decide on his/her own whether now is a time of speaking or a time of silence.
Suite (2006)
Written for the Miklos Quartet
Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone, Bass Trombone, Viola, Cello
Duration: 10:00
Premiere: 11/10/2006 | Miklos Quartet
Unfinished Love Songs (2005)
Instrumentation: Violin, Viola, and Alto Saxophone
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: Feb. 8, 2006 | Performance 20/20
Program Notes
These are not typical love songs. Rather than being composed for someone with whom the writer is involved, these pieces are dedicated to loves that are no more. The first movement is written for one who got away, while the second is for one that I got away from. The piece was written as part of a collaboration with Performance 20/20, the honors chamber music program at The Hartt School of Music.
While Alive I Was Silent… (2005)
Instrumentation: String Quartet
Duration: 11:00
Premiere: Mar. 6, 2006
She Walks, Burning Bright (2005)
Instrumentation: Percussion Duet
Duration: 4:30
Premiere: Nov. 17, 2007 | Sayun Chang and Bill Solomon
Program Notes
This piece was loosely inspired by Lord Byron’s poem “She Walks in Beauty Like the Night” and William Blake’s poem “Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright”. The work is not programmatic, but rather tries to capture the various images of night found within the two poems.
Still Life for Flute and Guitar (2005)
Instrumentation: Flute and Guitar
Duration: 11:00
Interested in premiering this work? Please contact me!
Program Notes
Each of the movements in this piece was inspired by a different view of death. The first movement corresponds to a quote from Rumi. The second is based on a short story by Katherine Ann Porter. The third does not reference one specific work, but rather attempts to capture the widespread idea that the moment of death is often accompanied by one’s life flashing before one’s eyes.
Three Poems for Oboe, Cello, and Drumset (2005)
Instrumentation: Oboe, Cello, and Drumset
Duration: 5:00
Interested in premiering this work? Please contact me!
Searching for Yesterday (2004)
Instrumentation: Saxophone Quartet
Duration: 13:00
Premiere: April 13, 2005 | Hartt Saxophone Studio
Program Notes
Searching for Yesterday is a piece about coming to terms with the past. Each movement is inspired by a different way of relating to one’s personal history. The first movement represents longing for the good aspects of the past, while the second expresses the simple enjoyment of happy memories. The third movement contains hope, and the fourth, regret. The fifth represents acceptance of the positive and negative sides of the past as important factors in determining the present and the future.
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