CHAMBER
Rhapsody
Clarinet in B-flat, violoncello 2019 / 8’30”
Rhapsody is based around the musical conversation of two instruments. The piece features thematic material that is explored among both performers, whether as a “call and response,” concurrent execution of contrasting material, or the simultaneous enacting of the same material. In addition, the main musical elements alternate between each performer, with the other offering accompanying support. This allows both instruments to have equal focus, both being of the same importance.
Once Upon a Time
Piano, violoncello 2018 / 12’00”
This piece is written as five separate segments that are flanked by an Intro and Outro and connected by the Hinge. The order of these segments is determined by the results of a collaborative story that asks the audience to choose five options throughout the tale, their connection to each section unknown to them. This creates a piece that functions as a singular work, however has numerous forms in which it could take.
It Comes/Goes
Flute, alto saxophone, bass clarinet in B-flat 2018 / 5’00”
The form of It Comes/Goes is developed by the continuous addition of thematic fragments to nearly static tones, which culminate in the fragments overtaking the held tones and fusing into a full theme. This status quo is short-lived, however, as the fragments eventually break down and the static tones return to the forefront.
Dualities
Clarinet in B-flat, tenor saxophone, violin, vibraphone 2017 / 6’10”
Dualities explores the relationship between two pairs of instruments, each acting as unified hyper-instruments. Neither pair attacks on the same beat as the other, and the instruments in each pair always act together. This structure allows each pair to interact with one another as a duo, rather than four separate parts.
Simultaneities
Flute, clarinet in B-flat, violoncello 2017 / 9’05”
Simultaneities is primarily based on the combining of three instruments into one. No part indicate to hold the breath for each acts independently of the others, effectively creating a piece without true linear counterpoint. This allows the performers to function as a single musical entity.
Elegy & Response
String quartet 2016 / 6’30”
Elegy & Response is a musical reflection on emotion followed by action. It is not rooted in any specific event or experience, but rather these concepts in a general sense (especially as related to today’s political/social climate). Virtually every individual has experienced immense sadness, but the choices that follow often determine how this emotion is channelled and utilized. Thus, Elegy and Response takes its compositional form from these aspects: a solemn beginning section, a middle moment of agitation and energy, and a steady yet active repetition of the initial material.
Passcode
Percussion quartet 2016 / 5’45”
Passcode was written for members of the NYU Percussion Ensemble with the focus on the rhythmic interplay between four performers. The concept that formed the piece’s structure is a series of unsuccessful attempts to login with a passcode. The correct “code” is the theme found in the first two measures, which is then broken down and manipulated in the following three sections of the work. The overall result is the quartet’s attempt to replicate a successful musical login.
Waterworks
Oboe, English horn, 2 bassoons 2016 / 5’00”
Waterworks: Micro-Suite for Four Woodwinds is a response to George Friderick Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. Within compositional structures of the Baroque Era, Waterworks formulates new material from themes found in the two Handel suites. The result is a contemporary homage to these familiar and oft-performed pieces
Sold through Trevco-Varner Music
Stereoscopic
2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bass clarinets in B-flat, percussion 2016 / 7’30”
This piece focuses on synthesizing different stereo effects, such as panning, reverb, and clipping. The performers are arranged on the stage to form a wide arc, in which the musical gestures are passed back and forth among the performers. The result is the audio transferring spatially along the performance space.
Phalanx
Mixed ensemble 2015 / 7’00”
Phalanx is named after the ancient Greek military formation, a unit known for its impenetrable form that relied on group cohesion. The music represents this homogeneous structure by maintaining a constant pulse and utilizing similar motivic devices. These musical gestures travel throughout each smaller instrumental grouping, but still maintain a single idea. Though made up of individual parts, the piece functions as a unified device. The spoken audio itself becomes an instrument, with each line cued through a laptop.
Oracle
Bassoon, piano, percussion 2014 / 5’45”
This piece focuses on the effects of gestures upon each other. This causality is realized through the instrumental parts are divided into cues, with each cue given a suggested amount of interacting with each other in a meter-less setting. The systems time to enact the material. However, this is not strict and the performers can take liberties with the length.
Atomic Quartet
String quartet 2015 / 6’00”
Originally written for the JACK Quartet as part of the NYU Composition program, Atomic Quartet creates fictional aural representations of three distinct particles: electrons, quarks, and the newly discovered Higgs Boson. The notation is represented by graphics and with no meter, allowing the performers to interact with one another through cues and musical gestures.
The Celestial Sphere
Flute, viola, harp 2011 / 5’05”
The piece utilizes hyper instrumentation to form the overall texture of the work. The instruments are combined to accentuate pitches and produce unique timbres. In addition, the motivic material is passed among the performers. This motive is based on the intervals of a major 2nd and a tritone. The interconnected texture and the angular motive work in tandem to create an oscillating contour, seeking to evoke the perceived spinning of the celestial bodies.