Ensemble

Written for Dawson Lee, Renzo deCarlo, and Philip Rawlinson, Nāda refers to the internal “human” sounds explored in spiritual traditions such as Buddhism and Yoga, including breath and heartbeat. This composition uses these bodily sounds as its primary material, shaping a quiet yet animated work that foregrounds the physical presence of the performers.

Mukti translates to 'liberation' in Sanskrit. It is commonly used in Buddhism in the context of liberation from karmas, from material attachments and from physical forms.

Written for a lecture-recital commemorating the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun. The piece’s structure is inspired by the architecture of the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Portiuncula, which is a historic chapel closely associated with St. Francis’s life and mission, and ministry.

Inspired by Saijō Yaso's 1919 horror poem "Tomino's Hell". The title, The Fox Peony, references the tenth stanza's juxtaposition of a blooming peony with Tomino's entrance to eternal hell. Premiered by the Tacet(i) Ensemble,

Each player is given a pre-determined order of notes to play within 10 minutes, register unspecified, where every instrument may play any part. This is an attempt to situate the performer's intuition in the foreground, positioning it as the determinating factor in the sonic outcome of the piece. Premiered by the PPCM Ensemble.

Materials generated from the text of the Buddhist Heart Sutra notated semi-indeterminately in space-time notation. Musicians are free to interpret events in reaction to the ensemble.

Text by Robert Frost (public domain). Recorded by The Hermes Experiment.

The Kingma-system flutes are capable of consistently playing quartertones, enabling interesting harmonies with such a unique combination. Performed by the Rarescale Flute Academy.