Program Notes:

This piece is built around, as the title suggests, pulling things apart. In the first movement the two main melodic ideas are pulled apart rhythmically. The first is accelerated, and begins to feature smaller and smaller subdivisions as the piece progresses. The second, rough, bluegrass inspired theme on the cello is slowed down significantly as the piece comes to a close, so much so that it becomes less recognizable as a melody and functions more as a background on which the piano fades out.

After the first movement ends and the music has already been pulled apart so to speak, the second movement starts with the two instruments playing solos. Rather than focusing on pulling things apart, this movement focuses on putting back together the ideas that have already been pulled apart. As the piece moves forward, the two instruments play at once more frequently, and finally end as a pair.

Duration c. 11:30, Work written in 2024

Program Notes:

We’re sold a lot of snake oil. We’re sold so many dieting fads, needless new gadgets, and empty philosophies, that it’s hard not to buy at least some of it. This piece is about those times where we turn to snake oils, the temporary satisfaction they provide, and the pit we’re left in when we realize it was all a deception. 

While that description covers the narrative of the piece, just as important to this piece is the stylistic pallet. The piece is essentially a tribute to bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice. Those familiar with his work will likely recognize his signature licks and phrases in this piece. Beyond that, much of the atmosphere of this piece was inspired by classic bluegrass murder ballads, in particular, Wild Bill Jones. It was from this somewhat twisted folk landscape that both the title and the piece Snake Oil Trip emerged. 

Duration c. 6:30, Work commissioned by Dave Eggar and written in 2025

Program Notes:

This piece was inspired by two tracks on folk guitarist Norman Blake’s album Home in Sulphur Springs. The first is based on “Ginseng Sullivan.” I had the image of mist covering the mountains evaporating and revealing the landscape. I thought this image paired nicely with the subject of the song: a man in the North Georgia mountains trying to make enough money to return to his home in the Mississippi Delta. All together, this movement is meant to evoke a sort of nostalgia that comes in and out of focus as a sort of mental mountain haze lifts and falls back down again.

The second movement based on the fiddle tune “Cattle in the Cane” twists the melody into a series of thorny, chromatically shifting, pointed lines. This idea came from the image of cattails being blown around on a gusty day, moving chaotically on an individual level, but similarly to one another as a group. This, alongside the wild, yet traditionally structured nature of the original tune, led to the image of a bouquet of cattails: an object that is at once rugged and unpredictable, and also organized and beautiful.

This work uses both alto and c flutes. Movements may be performed individually.

Duration c. 10:00, Work written in 2025

Program Notes:

I-81 is the U.S. highway running from the New York-Canada border, through the Appalachians and ending in northern Tennessee. The thought of driving down this particular stretch of highway instantly became the perfect symbol for this piece. The connection to the geographical region is fairly straightforward. The melodies come from the idioms of Appalachian fiddle tunes, evoking the drive through gentle slopes and winding roads of the mountains. But in addition to that, core to this piece is the idea of directionality. The piece spirals faster and faster, until winding out of control and reaching its inevitable end. Always in one direction: down I-81. 

Duration c. 7:30, work written in 2025 for FAB5

Program Notes:

This piece came out of a desire to express some complex thoughts toward the way classical music is situated in our culture. This piece serves as a container for those thoughts. This is accomplished through interplay between Baroque forms and styles, and vernacular idioms, in particular, pop, jazz, blues, and gospel (with some modern compositional techniques thrown in, of course) . 

The first movement is based on the idea of a crab canon. This Baroque form featured a line of music which produces good counterpoint when played forwards and backwards at the same time. This posed a challenge for an ensemble of six instruments. Rather than having only one line, the general gestures played by the pitched ensemble are played in reverse order on the drum kit. The result is a fast-paced collage of jarring and comical contrasts. What follows is the infection of a ground bass with jazz and the blues. In particular, this bass line is known as the “lament,” and is famously used in “When I am Laid in Earth” from  Purcell’s Dido and Aenaes. As the piece progresses, the vernacular elements start to take over. This sets up the last movement, in which the vernacular idioms take over as the most salient elements. At the same time, a Baroque ritornello form guides the harmonic progression of the music. So by the end of the piece, a form which originated in 17th century Italy, and a shout which originated in 20th century African American Pentecostal churches operate at once.

It excites me to live in a world where such disparate elements can connect and coexist. These connections excite me because I believe they serve as bridges between genres, and ultimately people. I am not a 17th century Italian, nor am I an African American Pentecostal. I cannot, and do not, represent those groups. Yet, I can represent how their music has enriched and expanded my world. I hope it expands yours too.

Duration c. 8:00, work written in 2026 for Mostly Modern Ensemble

Program Notes:

Sweet Crucible is about purification. As the piece progresses the quartet goes from playing similar, yet ununified lines. Additionally, the different mutes on each instrument create the impression of unrefined metal ready for its dross to be melted off. This melting comes as the percussion enters and leads the ensemble. The members of the quartet rotate through solos and duos imitating the rhythms of the percussionist. Ultimately, when the “melting” finishes, the quartet finally plays as a truly unified whole, both rhythmically and timbrally. This work speaks to the necessity of moments which melt us, and yet also refine us into maturity.

This work requires one each of straight, harmon, plunger, pixie, and cup mutes. See perusal score for full percussion instrumentation.

Duration c. 8:00, work written in 2025