Take What You Want (2019)
Take What You Want is a title with two meanings: in a way it refers to the lack of meaning behind the piece, telling the listener to take away from the music whatever they wish, but it could also be interpreted as a commentary on the historical ineffectiveness of a communist political structure.
Approximate Duration: 4 minutes
That’s Folk, All! for String Quartet (2018)
That's Folk, All! is a piece that calls upon eastern European folk elements in an effort to create a piece that bears the freedom of folk music and the structure of classical music. The piece takes the form of a divertimento suite in one movement, cycling through several loosely related sections before coming to a grandiose conclusion. Originally written for solo piano, the string quartet arrangement of That's Folk, All! came from a desire to explore the music in a new timbral context. Given its eastern European folk demeanor, I felt an arrangement for string quartet could capture the spirit of the piece on a deeper level.
Approximate Duration: 4 minutes
Eulogy (2018)
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
Rhythmic Whatnot (2017)
This piece began with the bass line. Initially, I imagined a pop-infused piano piece driven by a low piano bass line, but when I realized the bass line sat perfectly in the range of the cello, I decided it had to be a string quartet. The piece is entirely in 11/4 (split into 3+4+4 for easier reading). One concept with which I often find myself fascinated is taking complex and unnatural rhythms and meters and making them feel natural. So ideally, a listener would experience the sensation of 4/4 when in fact the piece sits in 11.
Approximate Duration: 4 minutes, 20 seconds
Jig-saw (2017)
Jig-saw was written as several unique sections pieced together like a puzzle. Formally, though not explicitly, the piece is a palindrome with the form following an ABCDCBA pattern. The piece also uses a synthetic octatonic scale, with the final chords introducing the four omitted pitches for a jarring finale.
Approximate Duration: 4 minutes