VIGNETTES
for Basson and String Quartet
I. Hopespun
II. Somewhere, Tears
III. Infinite Imagines
World Premiere, April 9, 2022, Caruth Auditorium, SMU
Vignettes, was written for and premiered by the remarkable bassoonist, Robyn Watson. The work is in three sections, each reflecting a different mood; Hopespun delighting in the simple warmth of hope, Somewhere, Tears channeling grief, and Infinite Imagines, expoloring wonder and curiosity.
2021-2022 PREMIERES
ANAM CARA
for Woodwind Ensemble
Ladies Quintessential Quintet
Livestream Concert, March 8, 2022.
Anam Cara, was selected for premiere by the "Ladies Quintessential Quintet" a remarkable ensemble of female musicians who marked International Women's Day with a concert of Music by Women, performed by women. Anam Cara is the Gaelic term for "Soul Friend," and one can feel that soulful interaction between the instruments as they share thematic motifs back and forth, echoing, answer-ing and evolving as the work unfolds.
SONG OF THE SEERESS - Völuspá,
A Symphonic Poem for Solo Soprano and Orchestra
Northwest Symphony Orchestra, dir. by Anthony Spain, Soprano Alexandra Picard
Song of the Seeress was just named an American Prize 2022 finalist. This piece steps back 1000 years into the medieval sagas of the Vikings. The work sets text from the opening portion of the Old Norse poem, Völuspá, one of the most beautiful and influential of the Eddic poems preserved from the Viking Age. These sagas are the primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. The wellspring that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien, they continue to influence modern fantasy genres today. Völuspá tells the story of the creation, destruction, and rebirth of the world. As the poem opens, a Seeress is seated before the God, Odin. She has been summoned to share her vision and predict the apocalyptic future, Ragnarök.
VIVA
for Symphony Orchestra
Tampa Bay Symphony, directed by Mark Sforzini,
Jan. 9 2022. Florida, USA
VIVA was just named an American Prize Semi-finalist, and was one of four international finalists in Tampa Bay Symphony's 2021 Orchestral Composition Contest. VIVA was inspired by the fight for life in the midst of the Covid pandemic The work is characterized by a percussive heartbeat and vibrant brass. Driven, but ultimately joyous, It is a tribute to those who have fought so valiantly to keep others alive. A celebration of survival and hope, it is a musical encouragement to seize and savor each day.
A BIRTHDAY, ECHO
for soprano, mezzo soprano and piano
JUST RELEASED - Two new art songs featuring the poetry of Christina Rossetti
Modern Music for New Singers
21st Century American Art Songs, Edited by Dr. Robert Peavler,
North Star Music, LLC TO ORDER:
A Birthday Volume 1 for Soprano
Echo Volume 2 for Mezzo Soprano
Kari Cruver Medina Composer
HEART REMEMBER DANCE
Gammaldans Suite (Four Movements) for Clarinet and Viola
2021 Upcoming performance by Domino Ensemble - TBA
This suite is based on impressions of the old-style “Gammeldans” tunes that musicians play in Scandinavian folk dance, where dancers in richly decorated folk costumes whirl and spin in paired patterns--a celebratory visual expression of communal rejoicing (something we all longed for this past year). This selection from the fourth movement is called "Hide and Seek"
WEB AND WINGS
for solo piano
2021 Winner of the Renée B. Fisher Composer Award
The Neighborhood Music School, New Haven CT. USA
Web and Wings was written as a performance piece for the Renée B. Fisher Young Pianists Competition. As the winning composition, it was featured as the commissioned contemporary competition piece for Elementary/Middle School students to learn in the 2021 solo piano competition. ( featured at 1:55)
FOREST AND FENN
for Woodwind Quintet
"Contemporary Classics Fall Concert"
Alliance Classical Players, Nov. 2021 New York, USA
Forest and Fen was a winner of the Wind Quintet Network's 2021 call for new music
for Woodwind Quintet. Performed and recorded by by the Alliance Classical Players, Forest and Fen is from a series called "Why We Wander" written during the pandemic when so much of the world was locked down. The work is an invitation to enter the woods and wetlands with the fresh eyes of a child and to celebrate the wonder of exploring the natural world. (featured at 3:44)
THE TAIL OF A TRAIN: CITY OF TRURO
for TTBB Choir
Truromanse, directed by Gareth Churcher
Winner, 2021 Cornwall International Male Choir Composition Contest
The Tail of a Train: The City of Truro is the 2021 winner of the Cornwall International Male Choir Composition Contest. The work is an a cappella piece in the style of a historic folk ballad, featuring a tenor soloist with accompanying TTBB choir. It was inspired by the historic 19th C train and its inventor, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the UK's Great Western Railway, George Jackson Churchward. (The composers great uncle!)