WATCH

 

the sun gets in your eyes

the sun gets in your eyes was written for the Atlantic Brass Quintet and premiered at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Hall as part of the Mostly Modern Festival on June 20, 2022. The piece is about overcoming stagnation and looking ahead to a brighter future.

Violin Concerto

Violin Concerto is a three-movement work for violin and orchestra. My goals for the piece were to create something that was elegantly paced, carefully orchestrated and balanced, and maintained a nonspecific narrative that connected each section of the piece. The piece explores a variety of emotional states, which I suppose is a reflection of my own mind throughout the course of writing the piece. This piece is dedicated to Owen Ruff.

 

One Man’s Trash

One Man’s Trash is a piece for solo percussion which sets the poem “Burning Trash” by John Updike. The piece explores the sonic potential of things one might find in their garbage bin and uses those sounds to outline the imagery within the text.

 

Ocean Reflects Sky

Ocean Reflects Sky is an exploration of the coloristic possibilities of the violin. I drew inspiration from the colors of the sky over the ocean, ranging from soft yellows and warm oranges to deep blues and greens. The interaction of colors within the sky is given an added dimension within its reflection on the ocean below, contorting the colors into something new. All of these things are represented in the interaction between the two violins, which are playing textural material varying in rhythmic and timbral relationships. Sometimes the violin timbres match up, directly mirroring one another, yet at other times they act independently, but are still living in harmony with each other. The piece was written for Sharan Leventhal.

Sea Church

Sea Church is a piece for soprano and piano inspired by the poem “Sea Church” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The text explores the author’s spiritual connection with the sea while the music is reflective of the text’s introspective nature. Shimmering textures and harmonic depth mimic a calm, lulling ocean.