The end of semester can only mean one thing: I will be able to transition to my composer duties once again. It will be glorious, I tell you.
This past winter and early spring has been quite rewarding. First, the Enid Trio had a week-long residency at NIU. The highlight for me was the premiere of these dream these rheme these stream, a piece I wrote for a little over a year for them. The performers were spread throughout a dark hall, allowing space for extended musical meditation.m I am so incredibly proud of this piece and grateful for the Enids for performing it so well. I am very excited about future performances in different spaces. You can listen here or see an ethereal video below.
I also had a wonderful performance of Solar Corona by Carolyn Snyder and Ya-chen Jessy Lee in April. It was the first performance in almost 4 years, and it was great to see how they attacked the piece with such confidence. You can view their performance below.
Looking ahead, there are many notes to be written! I will be one of the composers-in-residence at the Mid-Missouri Composers Symposium this July, hosted by the Osage Arts Community. It will be a wonderful opportunity to discuss musical issues of the day with sharp minds and to have the time and space to work on a number of projects.
First up for May is finishing the details on Shallow Water Blackout for the Quince Vocal Ensemble. The piece is about drowning, and the voices of Quince are the fading reminder to take a breath during a free dive. Also spatialized, the room becomes the mind in which this reminder echoes.
The biggest project looming in the future is Runoff, a theater and music experience I am working on with Andy Costello. Based on the most recent mayoral election, Runoff will be an exploration of if and how progressivism can make inroads into political discourse without having an outright victory. The role of lowercase m media and capital M THE Media is a primary concern, and the evening should be quite a spectacle. You can watch the "debate" video we created below.
Lastly on the internet but not in my heart, I am starting work on a series of pieces for various instruments and live processing that are studies in corrosion - specifically rust. I will have lots more to say about oxidation returning metals to an unfinished state in the coming months.
If you haven't been over to my Youtube or Soundcloud pages recently, you should go check them out. I have uploaded a number of things on each page from past years that I had somehow neglected to post. Give them a look/listen.
Thanks for listening and watching!
