Trio
Accord (2017)
Oboe, Viola, Piano 5' 30" Reaching an accord can be a desirable outcome where differences and disagreements prevent productive or positive results--in personal and work relationships, in labor-management negotiations, within and between organizations, and amongst nations. It is challenging to understand and then accommodate an array of positions and identities and then to weave them together in a way that maximizes coherence without minimizing the value of all the elements.
Always a New Now (2012)
High-Med-Low Flex Instrumentation 6' 45" The title, Always A New Now, comes from Michael Colgrass’ book My Lessons With Kumi, in which Kumi extols the benefits of reacting like a dog: “To a dog, a misstep is gone the moment it happens, because the dog is already paying attention to the next moment. There is no ‘mistake’ because there is no past. And there’s no fear, because there’s no future. There is only now…and now…and now.” The flex instrumentation approach was a way of connecting to Kumi’s idea that “there is only now…and now…and now.” The trio might work with “this combination…or this combination…or this combination.” Another way to think about it is this idea which comes up in my life surprisingly often: There is not one right answer here.
Cascade (2011)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Trombone 7' 15" I like the way cascade is used in electronics—a series of networks, each having an output that serves as the input for the next. This image gets at the deep connectedness between distinct sections that I was striving for in Cascade. But the several long, descending gestures in Cascade draw on another sense of cascade—a series of waterfalls over steep rocks.
Disclosure (2003)
Violin, Alto Saxophone, Bassoon 8' 00" “In the interest of full disclosure” is associated with legal, political, and commercial situations, but has made its way into interpersonal situations as well. Is full disclosure possible on a personal level? The act of disclosing inevitably changes what is disclosed, reveals new connections and implications, is nuanced by the one to whom the disclosure is made, and the context of the disclosure. Consider the onion metaphor, in which each layer that is peeled off reveals another layer closer to the core. Add the further complexity that our act of peeling might alter the next layer, revealing it to be, in fact, an artichoke, the next a radish. This morphing onion metaphor begins to get at my sense of the non-static nature of personal disclosure, and it is that sense which infused the writing of this piece. Published by JOMAR Press. Disclosure was premiered in July 2004 at Interlochen Arts Camp by Barbara Sturgis-Everett, violin, Timothy McAllister, alto saxophone, and Eric Stomberg, bassoon.
Libero Arbitrio (1999)
Oboe, Bassoon, Piano 10' 30" Libero Arbitrio is the namesake of its commissioner, Arbitrio ("ar-BEE-tree-oh")--oboist Alicia Cordoba Tait, bassoonist Douglas Spaniol, and pianist Bradley Haag. It was premiered by the group in 2000 and has since been performed throughout the Midwestern United States, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in Buenos Aires. The title, Libero Arbitrio, is Italian for "free will" and is a fun spin-off of the group¹s name which takes its name from a suo arbitrio, meaning the musicians should perform "at their pleasure." While my thoughts about free will and its counterpart predetermination had an important impact on the writing of Libero Arbitrio, what is more audible is the use of evolving ostinatos, references to the syncopation and metric aspects of jazz, and the at times operatic treatment of the instruments in the solo and duet sections. Published by JOMAR Press.
The More the Merrier, the Fewer the Better Fare (2023)
Clarinet, Bassoon, Bayan Accordion 7' 06" Coming Soon
Music: A Love Story (2011)
Violin, Alto Saxophone, Piano 7' 00" Many books and movies share the title format of Music: A Love Story —Capitalism: A Love Story, War: A Love Story, Drinking: A Love Story, etc--and each one expresses more than a little irony about its primary topic. This musical love story includes a “lamenting” section, made of traditional phrases and clear cadences, that reappears with great determination; a couple of duets, full of longing; sections of intense counterpoint; and even what I consider to be a creepy lullaby. There is love, there is irony, there is music.
Nudged Along Time's Notched Stick (1997)
Guitar, Flute, Viola 9' 30" - 3 Movements The saying "nudged along on time's notched stick" sets up a notched stick as a metaphor for our experience of time. I imagine the smooth parts of the stick to be those periods of our lives which are somewhat static, schedules are in place, and things are predictable; the notches in the stick are the events which force us out of our routine and change the patterns of our lives. This composition is in three short movements, each of which nudges us along the notched stick in different ways. I wrote Nudged for violist Chris Rutledge. Published by JOMAR Press.
With a Vengeance (1991)
Violin, Cello, Piano 9' 00" This single movement composition features a clear structure with pitch material solidly based around the note A. Material developed early in the piece is compressed more and more at each recurrence, while a constant sixteenth note value is maintained underneath the compression. This compression is followed by a section based on a pointillistic treatment of a descending A minor scale. The piano material is colored more and more by doublings in the violin and cello. The first section's sixteenth note figure gradually works its way into this pointillistic section and leads to a whirlwind replay of the first part of the piece. College level performance majors and beyond could perform this work.