This semester has been full of wonderful projects and collaborations, including new music released for streaming, exciting performances, my conducting debut, and a new ensemble I have been directing!
First of all, I now have three recordings of mine released to all streaming platforms! The first of these is my duet for flute and 5.0 octave marimba, 12,000 Years: Water and Stone, written for my friends and collaborators Abi Middaugh and Austin Nordhaus. Abi and Austin premiered the piece last April, and worked with me on a recording to release. It is a joy and a privilege to work with musicians as talented as these two! Check out the recording on streaming platforms or purchase as a digital download.
My second single, Shimmering Coalescence is an older piece of mine, written in 2021 at the Eastman Experience: Summer Classical Studies program. The summer program was held virtually, and Shimmering Coalescence was written with the constraints of virtual performance in mind. The piece works both as a fixed media or a live electroacoustic chamber music for flexible instrumentation. You can stream the recording or purchase as a digital download (including a program note and perusal score).
The third place you can hear my music is on the recently released album This Is Our Song by the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club. This album celebrates six years under the direction of Dr. Mark Stover, with whom I have had the pleasure of singing for, learning from, and collaborating. My piece, Friendship, Youth, and Wisdom was written for Dr. Stover and the Men's Glee Club, celebrating our community of brotherhood and song. Writing this piece and taking it on tour in South America with the Men's Glee Club remains one of the most incredible experiences of my life. You can stream the album here.
Speaking of Friendship, Youth, and Wisdom, the piece was performed at the Florida Gulf Coast University Bower School of Music by Cantabile, a tenor-bass ensemble conducted by my friend and collaborator Dr. Bryan Ijames. I had an opportunity to speak with the ensemble and I'm thrilled by the energy they brought to the piece. My gratitude to Dr. Ijames for the musicianship he brings to my work!
Sheet music for Friendship, Youth, and Wisdom is available, both in the original TTBB voicing as well as a brand new SATB arrangement!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to work as the assistant conductor of Arts Chorale, a non-auditioned choir open to all University of Michigan students. It was a joy to work alongside Sydney Mukasa, who has provided me with mentorship and a staggering example of musicianship. The Arts Chorale concert included my collegiate conducting debut, as I led the ensemble's performance of Upon Your Heart by Eleanor Daley. I cannot wait to continue our work next semester,
as well as the opportunity to conduct in Hill Auditorium!
Perhaps the most exciting development for me over the last few months has been my brand new ensemble, Laurentide! Laurentide is a vocal new music ensemble dedicated to performing and recording choral works by composers at the University of Michigan. Our mission is to empower composers with performance opportunities and give singers an avenue to engage with new music. Our first performance was a huge success, with works by my talented colleagues Emily Graham, Nora Farley, Clara Bonnell, and Elijah Hall, as well as the premiere of a piece I wrote in 2022, The Everlasting Voices. I'm excited to continue Laurentide's work next semester—stay tuned for our next performance this March. You can follow Laurentide on Instagram for more updates!
Now, a few words about the project I am currently working on! I have been writing a large-scale project for mixed chamber ensemble, six voices, and electronics. The piece is about experiencing sublimity in nature, extremes of scale, and glaciers. I've sourced texts in four different languages exploring these themes, and I'll be setting them alongside large-scale, slowly evolving sonic textures. Stay tuned for more blog posts as I share more about my process with this piece and ultimately getting it rehearsed and performed!