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Ashes of Life
A mentor once told me, “You don’t have to change the world, you just have to make your corner of it a better place.” For years I have tried to do this through my own music, but sometimes I struggle. Sometimes the words don’t fit or the music doesn’t motivate me. Sometimes I even question…
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A Twisted Tale
A Twisted Tale (2024) is an extended technique voice piece for solo baritone and theatrics, originally written for UNT’s Composer’s Forum 24/24 event. The piece tells a humorous, jumbled fairytale where Little Red Riding Hood, the city mayor, is attempting to eminent domain the land where The Three Little Pigs have built their houses. Little…
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Death is a Dialogue
Program Notes Emily Dickinson’s “Death is a Dialogue” conveys an interaction between the “Spirit” and “Death.” Throughout, Death and the Spirit discuss the ending occurrences of life; Death argues that one’s existence will simply dissolve away, while the Spirit reveals a hopeful life after passing. These intertwining elements of relief and hope against manipulation and…
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Haunted
Program Notes Haunted is an extended vocal technique composition that tells the story of a man being stalked by a creature as he makes his way home at night. With aesthetic inspiration from Lachenmann’s Guero, the piece uses a custom graphic notation structure with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system I experimented with during my…
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Requiem for a Poisoned Earth
Requiem for a Poisoned Earth is an environmentally driven oratorio for orchestra and chorus, featuring four soloists and saxophone quartet. The work aims to educate audiences on the dangers of hazardous PFAS “forever chemicals.” Developed in the early 1950s, these chemicals have been released, buried, and dumped into almost every ecosystem worldwide. PFOA, a specific…
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Autumn
Autumn is a chamber work for soprano, clarinet, and piano, originally composed for Danielle Harrington, Anthony Orr, and Timothy Sanchez. TEXT: The thistledown’s flying, though the winds are all still, On the green grass now lying, now mounting the hill, The spring from the fountain now boils like a pot; Through stones past the counting…