The music and lyrics of We Have a Choice were composed as a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis. The piece explores aleatoric and performer-based textures that can be sung remotely through video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom. The text explores our ability to choose our own paths and reactions in every situation, hopefully ultimately choosing to embrace the story with love, joy, hope, and peace.
The piece alternates between mostly-unison chant-like textures and aleatoric branching textures, in which the performers may choose their own path.
This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice Choir interested in exploring virtual singing and limited- aleatoric textures that give performers ownership of the material.
This up-tempo arrangement of Joy to the World, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista and dedicated to Nova Vocal Ensemble, features lively rhythms, playful dialogue between the voices, and a fresh reharmonization of this beloved carol. Most of the melodic, rhythmic, and motivic counterpoint is adapted from another beloved carol, Deck the Halls.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
Evening Comes is a windband ensemble piece dedicated to Maxwell Judah Leviss. The piece has a wide range of emotions, ranging from childlike to aggressive to poignant. Evening Comes ends with a striking reharmonization of the classic melody “Taps”. This piece would work well for any windband ensemble concert.
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
English Horn
Bassoon
Clarinet in Bb 1
Clarinet in Bb 2
Clarinet in Bb 3
Bass Clarinet
Alto Sax 1
Alto Sax 2
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Trumpet in Bb 1
Trumpet in Bb 2
Trumpet in Bb 3
Trumpet in Bb 4
Trumpet in Bb 5
Horn in F 1
Horn in F 2
Horn in F 3
Horn in F4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Glockenspiel
Xylophone/Triangle
Vibraphone/Suspended Cymbal
Marimba
Snare Drum
Crash Cymbal/Bass Drum
Vapors explores different sounds the cello can produce and evokes the image of airy and vapory visuals. It calls for advanced cello techniques, including extended passages of natural and artificial harmonics. This piece would work well for a string chamber recital or classical chamber concert.
Continue reading VaporsPyramid was inspired by Jennifer Higdon’s 1726, which was named after the address of her school. Similarly this piece is named after the striking blue pyramid of my alma mater, California State University at Long Beach (CSULB). The second movement of Pyramid uses a limited pitch set determined by the German notation of BEACH (Bb E A C B), also an homage to CSULB.
Continue reading Pyramid: I, II, and III