String Quartet No. 4 – Pastorale and Country Dance
The second movement Pastorale and Country Dance begins very lyrically, depicting the idea of a pastorale countryside before moving onto a fast-paced, country dance section, incorporating the influential “Western” style of Aaron Copeland and blue grass fiddle techniques and popular music.
On a Squirrel Crossing the Road in Autumn, In New England – for Soprano, Cello, and Piano
On a Squirrel Crossing the Road in Autumn, In New England is a fun song using Richard Eberhart’s poem of the same name. The piece only uses major chords but constantly shifts tonal centers to keep it interesting.
Double Helix – Duet for Alto Saxophone and Violin
Double Helix is a duet for Alto Saxophone and Violin that uses counterpoint with extended techniques and polymeter to create a challenging work of two melodies that twist around each other.
Persian Dances – Grade 5
Persian Dances is a programmatic piece conceived around the idea of a possible story told during Scheherezade’s “1001 Nights”. The piece is divided into four dances, each depicting a scene from the story. It begins with several quasi-recitative solos that act as the story teller (Scheherezade) setting the tale for the Prince. As the story [...]
Delirium – Grade 6 (Master’s Thesis)
Delirium is a grade 6 piece for large wind ensemble that was completed in April of 2011 as my master’s thesis project at ASU. It synthesizes compositional techniques to generate unique juxtapositions of contrasting musical elements. Although the composition begins tonally, chromatic alterations gradually shift the melodic content outside of the tonal center. In addition [...]