Quarky Cat and Mouse (2019)
This piece began as an experiment using musical cells based on predetermined melodic interval sizes to create a piece. The piece also draws heavily on the idea of canons, creating the cat and mouse type feel. It is scored for soprano saxophone and bass clarinet.
Approximate Duration: 5 minutes, 30 seconds
Folk Song in G(umbo) [2018]
This piece was written for HUB New Music when they came for a residency at Texas State in the spring semester of 2018. The instrumentation of flute, clarinet, violin, and cello felt very conducive to a light, folksy piece, and that is why I wrote this. I imagine this music accompanying a scene on the bayou, hence the title.
Approximate Duration: 3 minutes
Eulogy for String Quintet (2018)
This is an arrangement of my string quartet, Eulogy, with added string bass. The original description is as follows: “Eulogy is a piece mourning all the art that will never come to be. So many creatives are deterred from exploring their artistic potential, whether by pressure from a parent, fear of the artist's lifestyle, poor socio-economic circumstances, or any of the various reasons why one might not pursue artistic expression.”
Approximate Duration: 6 minutes
Age of Heroes (2018)
A heroic brass fanfare written in the summer of 2018, this piece begins with an anticipatory slow section inspired by Danny Elfman’s Batman theme before exploding into the fanfare proper. The piece draws upon the harmonic cliche of chromatic mediant chord relationships to evoke super-heroism.
Approximate Duration: 3 minutes
Fanfare for Horn Octet (2018)
This piece seeks to explore some of the unique qualities of the horn, namely flexibility along the overtone series and the extensive range. The piece is bookended by a bold statement of concert F’s in four octaves, and features several quick arpeggios along the overtone series, crafted for horn playing.
Approximate Duration: 2 minutes
Murmurs in the Machine (2017)
Murmurs in the Machine is a major work for horn octet featuring several extended techniques and theatricality. It begins with an awakening into a shrouded, mysterious soundscape, the music characterized by uncertain harmonies and murmuring interjections. As the piece proceeds, the horn opens into a more standard register, this time characterized by ominous melodies and disjunct accompaniment lines that hand off parts and transfer energy around the ensemble like gears. All the pieces then come together into a unison-rhythm arrival only to come crashing down. This leads to a smoother section derived from the opening. The darkness and tension are replaced by hope. We find a mix of more traditional horn writing along with extended techniques, suggesting that the answer is not to abandon centuries of convention, but to add to it and make it something new.
Approximate Duration: 9 minutes, 30 seconds
King Tide Fanfare (2017)
A brass fanfare, King Tide Fanfare evokes the majesty of the sea and was inspired by the tremendous waves that beat along Nicaragua's Pacific coast. My mother is from Nicaragua, and we occasionally go there on vacation. Every time we visit, we take a day and go to the beach on the Pacific side of the country. In searching for inspiration for this fanfare, I landed on the subject of these nostalgic waters and their elegant power. The music is meant to evoke the grandeur of the ocean as it crashes against the great rocks that dot the beaches and the regality of the shimmering sea as it stretches off into the horizon.
Approximate Duration: 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Monday (2016)
The title, Monday, describes how the happy and innocent vibes of this piece are the sort of vibes I would want to have conveyed to me on a Monday, traditionally a most loathed day of the week. It is scored for flute, clarinet in Bb, vibraphone, piano, violin, and cello. It follows a fairly standard sonata form.
Approximate Duration: 4 minutes, 30 seconds
L’apothicaire Rêveur (2016)
This piece seeks to describe the following tale: A lonely apothecary dreams of love. Yet with these dreams come the uneasy realization that he may never find love. As he mulls over this predicament for some time, his troubled mind comes to an epiphany: he will create a love potion using his skills as an apothecary. He goes to work immediately, but his initial efforts prove explosive and volatile. He scours the land for the right ingredients. Some days are slow and he nearly gives up his efforts, but after weeks of toil, he finally has concocted the perfect love potion. The ultimate test is soon passed, and he is no longer alone; he has found love. And yet, this is an artificial love, and disaster soon strikes. In the heat of one night's passion, the effects of the potion suddenly wear off, and his frenzied "lover" makes off in a hurry. He once again finds himself alone in the dark with only his fears as company. It is scored for flute, clarinet in Bb, vibraphone, piano, violin, and cello.
Approximate Duration: 5 minutes