Different Lenses

Duration: 10:15

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Premiered: 2019.09.07

Players: (3) violin, Bb clarinet, piano

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(commissioned by the Oasi Trio + The Post Cortona Premieres Project)

About “Different Lenses”

“Different Lenses” was composed in 2019 and commissioned by Oasi Trio as part of the Post-Cortona Premieres Project. This piece is scored for violin, clarinet (Bb), and piano.

I first met the members of Oasi Trio (Claire Niederberger [violin], Kathryn Vetter [clarinet], and Magnus Villanueva [piano]) at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy in the summer of 2018. We quickly became friends and shortly after the Sessions, they formed the Oasi Trio. Once the Trio decided to begin commissions and tours, I was fortunate enough to have them ask me to compose a piece for them.

“Different Lenses” is arranged in five short sections, with each depicting a scene of what you might see through each different type of lens.

I. Opening [1:10]

II. Microscopes [1:16]

III. Camera [2:27]

IV. Binoculars [2:27]

V. Telescopes [2:55]

Altitude

Duration: 6:36

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Released: 2018

Players: (5) violin, Bb clarinet, tenor saxophone, vibraphone, piano

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

(written for 2018 Cortona Sessions for New Music)

About “Altitude”

“ALTITUDE” is a quintet for vibraphone, violin, Bb clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano inspired by the music of Socrates Garcia, Bob Brookmeyer, and Nashville jam-band Dynamo. The work contains two movements that may be performed in succession or independently.

“ALTITUDE” is based thematically on two dramatically different types of mountains I had visited in years prior to composing this piece: mountains at high altitudes in Colombia + mountains (fjords) at sea level in Norway.

I. Mountains (Colombia)

This movement is upbeat and festive, inspired by the grassy mountains and wonderful people in Santa Rosa de Osos and Medellin, Colombia.

II. Fjords (Scandinavia)

The second movement has a soft nature and humble joy that encapsulates the beauty of the Scandinavian landscape and people. While this movement still draws some influence from jazz, it is also inspired by the music of Peter Gabriel.

“ALTITUDE” is great for students looking for a chamber piece that covers the musical spectrum from fun + upbeat to fragile + beautiful all in a harmonic language accessible to any audience.

Into The Light

Duration: 5:09

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Released: 2018

Players: (4) soprano voice, flute, marimba, piano

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

(written for 2018 Cortona Sessions for New Music)

About “Into The Light”

“INTO THE LIGHT” is a contemporary/art-pop quartet for voice, flute, piano, and marimba.

Thematically, “INTO THE LIGHT” is about the moments in pre-dawn. The first half of this piece focuses on maneuvering in the darkness before the dawn. The second half of the piece is inspired by light slowly trickling into a room through the window.

The marimba part for “INTO THE LIGHT” calls for the use of four-mallet playing and a 4.3 octave marimba. The percussionist serves many roles throughout the piece playing atmospheric style chorales, serving as the rhythmic motor, and creating minimalist textures with other instrumentalists.

“INTO THE LIGHT” is inspired by the music of Peter Gabriel, Philip Glass, and Kate Bush.

“INTO THE LIGHT” is great for students looking for a contemporary chamber piece that draws from the pop music idiom.

text is taken from “Before the Dawn” by Clark Hubbard

Before the dawn

Reach into the void

Dark house

Your walls lay creaking

And its dark outside

Slowly fades into view

And its dark outside

And it feels like floating

Reaching out into nothing

And its dark outside

Go out into the light