Duo
Anchoring (2013)
Violin and Alto Saxphone 8:40 Anchoring has four distinct sections, each solidly anchored in its own way. Yin-Yang alternates between two very distinct characters in a yin-yang fashion; Shadow is anchored by reflecting around a core interval in rhythmic unison; Melodia is anchored by pitch-centricity. Each section first establishes the anchor, then celebrates the fun and outlandish departures made possible by the secure anchor. Merge, the fourth, ending section, intermixes the differently anchored materials in a celebration of the coexistence of diverse anchoring possibilities. Anchoring was written for saxophonist Thomas Snydacker. He and violinist Autumn Chodorowski premiered it.
Garavaglia Dances (2012)
Cello and Piano 4:30 Garavaglia Dances was written for Emily Munn-Wood in 2012. At the time, Emily played a lovely cello made by Chicago-based luthier, Gary Garavaglia. Garavaglia Dances is a virtuosic, high-spirited dance with lots of asymmetric beats, with playful slides and high-register double stops in the cello part.
Gnashing of Teeth (2019)
Alto Sax and Bass Trombone 10:00 Gnashing of Teeth marshals instrumental sounds, singing, shouting, and speaking to capture different aspects of extreme anger and frustration; building towards outrage and letting it dissipate, then building again in a new way and perhaps over yet another irritant. All of the texts are borrowed from fabulous Facebook 'rants' by the saxophonist Lois Wozniak. She and her husband Matt commissioned this piece and premiered it at the 2020 Biennial Conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance just before the pandemic closed out nearly all live performances.
Interface (1983)
Viola and Marimba 7:30 The artist, played by the viola, undertakes to capture and intone a discernible version of the archetype, played by the marimba. As they come closer and closer together in their expressions, they join in a flash of insight and inspiration; they are linked in an uneasy dance. Their dance falters: the marimba begins a slow fall down its scale; the artist struggles to retain the inspiration. The archetype recedes more and more, the artist falls silent. Published by Honeyrock. It's the Soup That Animates the Noodle Three movements. The title is a phrase from Tampopo, the 1987 Japanese film that tells the story of a search for the perfect noodle. The first movement deals with a kind of "reverse heterophony," carving simpler lines and pedals from a more complex strand; the second movement uses layering techniques to build intensity and creates new lines from short quotations of different layers; the third movement alternates intense unisons based on additive rhythm and free, expressive, contrapuntal versions of the same pitch material. Duration 10 min. Published by Arsis Press.
Kali, She Who Devours Time (2006)
Violin and Piano 6:30 Kali (pronounced like the dog breed, collie) is a complex and multi-faceted Hindu goddess, often depicted as a fearsome, dark, and long-tongued demon. In some traditions Kali is known for destroying ignorance, and aiding those who seek sublime knowledge. Her name can be understood as a synonym for death, or devourer of time. Kali, She who devours time, for violin and piano, was written in 2006 for violinist Charlotte Munn-Wood, who had already named her own beloved instrument Kali. In spite of the somewhat violent, destructive connotations of the title, Kali is quite gentle and coaxing, perhaps emphasizing the “seeking sublime knowledge” side of the goddess. I intended it as an invitation to Charlotte, who was then all of sixteen, into the world of new music performance. She premiered it in 2009, with Faith Loewe at the piano.
Lift (2019)
Clarinet and Piano 6:05 The term 'lift' has a nice referential flexibiltiy without losing its essential meaning in changing contexts: we lift up our voice in song, we lift up revenue, we lift an object down, and we even lift (or steal) something. Lift is built on three gestures that, once established, are developed quite continously. One gesture is simply a continuous upward pitch contour, another is a continuous downward flow of pitches, and the third is a faster, nervous, embellished gesture that expresses the building of energy towards one of the other gestures. Lift is a companion piece to Rift and both were commissioned by Claricello.
No Longer Suitable for Framing (1999)
Clarinet and Trombone 8:30 Was written in 1999 for Sandra Potkay Jackson, clarinet, and David Jackson, trombone. It was premiered by Sandy and David the next summer on an Interlochen Arts Camp faculty recital. I re-used the same pitch material in each of the seven snapshots, but with the instruments in different relationships each time. Those musical relationships drew to a certain extent on relationships in marriage--I was aware that Sandy and David had recently married, and my own marriage was near its end, so I had many positive and negative images to work with. The snapshots are each very short and intense and the relationships are not always positive (one person talking, the other not listening, for instance), but some are playful and connected. It's important not to take this programmatic image too seriously though! I consider No Longer Suitable for Framing to be very virtuosic, both in terms of the demands on the individual instrumentalists and in terms of their very intense chamber music relationship. Published by JOMAR Press.
Rift (2017)
Clarinet and Piano 7:00 A rift is a crack or a break in something and that ‘something’ can be a geological or cloud formation, a personal relationship, groups of people, or nations. Rift, written in 2017 for Claricello, is a continuous piece but it has several sections, all having to do with the changing relationship between the clarinet and the cello Before the rift, like a chant Rifting begins Rift is nearly complete Adrift Mending the rift Beyond the rift, faster Rift is a companion piece to ift and both were commissioned by Claricello.
Seven Short Rhapsodies (2003)
Oboe and Bassoon 3:30 Seven Short Rhapsodies for Oboe and Bassoon is a series of seven very short, expressive musical statements, each about 30 seconds long, and each using closely related pitch material, but with contrasting characters. All but two are duets for oboe and bassoon. The third rhapsody is a solo for oboe, and the fifth rhapsody assigns the same solo material to the bassoon. Seven Short Rhapsodies for Oboe and Bassoon was written in 2003 for Douglas Spaniol, bassoon, and Alicia Cordoba Tait, oboe. They premiered it in the summer of 2004 at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Australia. Published by JOMAR Press.
Start Dancing (1999)
Viola and Roto-toms 9:00 Start Dancing, for viola and roto-toms, was commissioned in 1999 by violist Joanne Swenson-Eldridge. Start Dancing celebrates the notion of moving beyond the study of something to the actually doing of that something; allowing all the study, contemplation and rehearsing to take us finally to something more than just study, contemplation and rehearsing. Published by HoneyRock.
They Were Mysterious Guests, Hard to Capture (1996)
Alto Saxophone and Piano 11:00 This three-movement work for alto sax and piano will work well as a recital piece, with demanding parts for both players. The movement titles are: I. They were mysterious guests, hard to capture II. If enough hosts weep, the all-night dance ceremony is considered a success III. Recollection "They were mysterious guests, hard to capture" is a sentence from When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Masson. The phrase refers to the unbidden nature of emotions. It served both as a starting point for the piece and as the basic watchword which focused the musical development of the first movement. The "all night dance ceremony" is described in Judith Becker's 1986 article "Is Western Art Music Superior?" She describes a ceremonial song performed by talented guests which takes "the hosts on a nostalgic journey intended to touch upon the pain of remembrance and the memory of loss." There is both grief and resolution in this movement. In the third movement, Recollection, direct and distant quotations and reminiscences recall temperaments from the earlier movements. Published by Frank E. Warren Music Service.
Treasure Up (2019)
Guitar and Harp 7:10 'Treasure up' references the notion of hoarding things, especially socially, as in keeping track of compliments and slights. In modern terms, we see it in how we can't help but notice how many people have 'liked' our Facebook posts, and how we might let this affect our sense of self-worth and standing in the world. The chromatic sections that are anchored by a clear tonic pedal (starting with D, on to G, etc.) express this obsession. The whole tone sections that intervene continue to include the note D, but it completely loses its sense of tonic because, well, it's a whole tone scale! So....obsession vs. free from obsession. The final section overlays the two pitch collections, suggesting that we live with the tension between treasuring up and being free of that kind of control.
Awaiting premiere
Work It Out (2025)
Piano, four hands 2:10 and counting This is the first of three projected movements.