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Release Date: November 13, 2020
Catalog #: NV6318
Format: Digital & Physical
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Drift

Society of Composers, Inc. - A Capstone Records Production - Volume 34

Chin Ting Chan composer
Bradford Blackburn composer
Philip Schuessler composer
Daniel Adams composer
Tianyi Wang composer
Paul Paccione composer
Mary Claire Miller composer
Andrea Reinkemeyer composer
Allen McCullough composer
Joo Won Park composer

The Society of Composers, Inc. continues its decades-long mission to promote and disseminate contemporary music on DRIFT, the 34th installment of the SCI Composers’ Series. DRIFT marks the 10th album in the series to release on Navona Records, and SCI continues to curate new works by luminaries that span generations.

This year’s album features pieces by 10 composers, whose compositions and instrumentations interweave and contrast to highlight the absolute breadth of styles that make up the fiber of contemporary music. Chin Ting Chan ponders ancient star interpreters through a wind ensemble, and Bradford Blackburn transforms poetry into music to document life in reverse. Philip Schuessler calls upon the performers to explore the contours of their instruments as they follow a uniquely notated single-line stave, and Daniel Adams pits clarinet against bass clarinet to explore the instruments’ contrapuntal relationship. Timbral variety is the focus for Tianyi Wang’s depiction of a dark rite, which leads to Paul Paccione delving into minimalism with uninterrupted droning and resonance. Mary Claire Miller’s electroacoustic work conjures the simple pleasure of playing cards on summertime evenings, then Andrea Reinkemeyer uses baritone sax, percussion, and piano to represent the beautiful-yet-violent life cycle of the luna moth. Allen McCullough’s piece for solo piano breathes musical life into a classic children’s tale, and Joo Won Park closes out the album with a guitar-voice duo representing the effects of hunger.

As their track record shows, SCI is no stranger to innovatively blending genres, and DRIFT is no exception.

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Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Falling Stars Chin Ting Chan Ball State University Wind Ensemble | Caroline Hand, conductor 7:43
02 Chimera Bradford Blackburn NOW Ensemble | Alex Sopp, flute; Alicia Lee, clarinet; Mark Dancigers, electric guitar; Michael Mizrahi, piano; Logan Coale, bass 5:42
03 Hymn for the Arc Harvester Philip Schuessler Southeastern Contemporary Music Ensemble | Keri Devilynn, contrabass; Nathan Parrish, flute; Chelsea Petho B-flat, clarinet; Madeleine Wanner, contrabass; Lian Warner, alto saxophone; Lindsey Willard, B-flat clarinet; Carmen Vessel, vibraphone; Philip Schuessler, conductor 4:55
04 Reflecting Pool Daniel Adams Christopher Nichols, clarinet; Christy Banks, bass clarinet 6:47
05 Dark Blessing Tianyi Wang Maria Sampen, violin; Alistair MacRae, cello; Tanya Stambuk, piano 6:21
06 Saint John Turned to See the Sound (Version for Mixed Chorus) Paul Paccione Western Illinois University Singers | James Stegall, conductor 5:30
07 Cards Mary Claire Miller Electroacoustic composition 7:29
08 Wild Silk Andrea Reinkemeyer Jeffrey Heisler, baritone saxophone; Isabelle Huang, percussion; I-Chen Yeh, piano 9:57
09 The Ugly Duckling Allen McCullough Elizabeth Pridgen, piano 9:19
10 Hungry Joo Won Park Elena Hensel, voice; Bianca Pokrzywa, guitar 5:12

FALLING STARS
Recorded March 16, 2017 at Kauffman Center for the Performing
Arts in Kansas City MO
Recording Session Engineer Bob Beck

CHIMERA
Recorded October 5, 2016 at Sykes Chapel, The University of Tampa in Tampa FL
Recording Session Engineer Bradford Blackburn

HYMN FOR THE ARC HARVESTER
Recorded April 30, 2019 at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond LA
Recording Session Producer and Engineer Philip Schuessler

REFLECTING POOL
Recorded August 25-29, 2018 at Chad Kinsey Recording Studio in Lancaster PA
Recording Session Engineer Chad Kinsey

DARK BLESSING
Recorded March 3, 2018 at Schneebeck Concert Hall in Tacoma WA
Recording Session Engineer Aidan Glaze

SAINT JOHN TURNED TO SEE THE SOUND
Recorded February 25, 2012 at the College of Fine Arts and Communication Recital Hall, Western Illinois University in Macomb IL
Recording Session Engineer Rick Chitty, Comprehensive Sound Services

CARDS
Composed December 2018 at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green OH

WILD SILK
Recorded February 26, 2016 at Bryan Recital Hall, Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts in Bowling Green OH
Recording, Editing, and Mixing Engineer Mark Bunce

THE UGLY DUCKLING
Recorded November 20, 2010 at Fickling Recital Hall, Mercer University in Macon GA
Recording Session Engineer Ian Altman

HUNGRY
Recorded December 5, 2018 at Wayne State University Recording Studio in Detroit MI
Producer and Engineer Joo Won Park
Text Jenifer Debellis

Producer Travis Garrison
SCI President Mark Phillips
SCI Executive Committee Chair Carter John Rice

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil

VP, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Mastering Shaun Michaud

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Sara Warner

Chin Ting Chan

Chin Ting Chan

Composer

Hong Kong-American composer Chin Ting Chan (b. 1986) has been a fellow and guest composer at festivals such as IRCAM's ManiFeste (Paris, 2013/2018), the ISCM World Music Days Festival (Tongyeong, 2016; Tallinn, 2019), and UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (Tallinn, 2015).

He has worked with ensembles such as Ensemble intercontemporain, ensemble mise-en, Ensemble Signal, eighth blackbird, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, and Mivos Quartet, with performances in more than twenty countries. His works are published with ABLAZE Records, Darling's Acoustical Delight, New Focus Recordings, PARMA Recordings, RMN Classical, SCI Journal of Music Scores, and Unfolding Music Publishing (ASCAP). He is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Composition at Ball State University. He holds a D.M.A. degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, as well as degrees from Bowling Green State University and San José State University.

For more information, please visit www.chintingchan.com.

Bradford Blackburn

Bradford Blackburn

Composer

BRADFORD BLACKBURN is an Associate Professor of Music, Theory and Technology, at The University of Tampa, where he coordinates the music technology, composition, and contemporary performance programs, and has served as chair for the Music Department.

He also founded and directs various music technology and experimental music ensembles at The University of Tampa including the Interactive Arts Ensemble, Studio Production Ensemble, and MIX Lab. Bradford Blackburn’s music includes live electronic music, acoustic concert music, interactive music for dance, jazz and popular music, and music for film. His compositions have been selected for performance at annual festivals for the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, Electronic Music Midwest, and Electroacoustic Barn Dance. He has presented his computer music research internationally at the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Music, and the Raflost festival in Reykjavík, Iceland. His doctoral dissertation explores the music of Harry Partch using replica instruments that he built following his research at the Harry Partch Instrumentarium. Blackburn has presented his Partch research at the College Music Society (national and international conferences) and the Harry Partch Legacy Symposium. Bradford Blackburn is a native of Buffalo, NY where he enjoyed a free-range childhood. He studied bassoon, played jazz guitar, and became an avid composer of experimental garage band music, before studying music composition with Donald Bohlen at SUNY Fredonia. He later earned a MM degree in Media Writing Production from the University of Miami, and a DMA degree in composition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended Aspen with an ASCAP Fellowship for Film Scoring and Composition. In addition to his studies in Western music, Blackburn has studied Chinese instrumental music on the erhu, dizi, and guqin during his numerous extended sojourns to Taiwan, with his wife and daughters.

Philip Schuessler

Philip Schuessler

Composer

PHILIP SCHUESSLER’s music explores the intricacies of subtle timbres and delicate dynamics through extended acoustic and electro-acoustic resources. Many world-renowned artists and ensembles such as Yarn/Wire, Timetable, Mantra Percussion Ensemble, Dither Guitar Quartet, Hypercube Ensemble, Pesedjet, Iktus Percussion, violinist Graeme Jennings, cellist Craig Hultgren, and soprano Tony Arnold have championed his music.

He has had works performed at notable venues such as June in Buffalo, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga New Music Symposium, Birmingham City Stages Festival, Festival Miami, the Czech-American Summer Music Workshop, CCMIX in Paris, SEAMUS Conferences, ArtSounds in Kansas City, Artomatic in Arlington, Virginia, Electronic Music Midwest, New Music Forum in San Francisco, the School for Designing a Society in Urbana, Illinois, Electroacoustic Juke Joint in Cleveland, Mississippi, and the Spark Festival in Minneapolis. He has also been a participant at the MusicX Festival, the Ernst Bloch Music Festival, the Elliott Carter/Oliver Knussen Chamber Music Intensive Workshop at Carnegie Hall, and the Oregon Bach Festival. His electro-acoustic music has been recognized in France by Elektrophonie’s NuitBleue Music Festival, the Futura Festival, and the Bourges Residence.

Awards for his music also include the Music Teachers National Association Commissioned Composer of the Year, International Cello Loft Commission for Cello and Percussion, the Duo Fujin Composition Competition, and Random Access Music’s call for scores. He is also the recent recipient of a Composers Assistance Program grant from New Music USA. Schuessler received his Bachelors Degree in composition at Birmingham-Southern College, his Masters Degree from the University of Miami, and his PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His teachers have included Charles Mason, Dorothy Hindman Dennis Kam, Keith Kothman, Dan Weymouth, Sheila Silver, Perry Goldstein, and Daria Semegen.

He is currently an instructor of music theory and composition at Southeastern Louisiana University where he was honored with the President’s Award in Artistic Excellence. His music is published by Pendula Music, Society of Composers, Inc., Alia, TUX People’s Music, and Potenza Music, and recordings of his compositions can be found on the Centaur, Janus, Curvepoint Media, and Capstone labels.

Daniel Adams

Daniel Adams

Composer

DANIEL ADAMS (b. 1956, Miami, FL) is a Professor of Music at Texas Southern University in Houston. Adams holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (1985) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Music from the University of Miami (1981) and a Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State University (1978).

Adams is the composer of numerous published musical compositions and the author of many articles and reviews on topics related to Twentieth Century percussion music, music pedagogy, and the music of Texas. His book entitled “The Solo Snare Drum” was published in 2000. He is also the author of two entries published in 2009 in the Oxford Encyclopedia of African-American History: 1896 to the Present and has authored a revision of the Miami, Florida entry for the Grove Dictionary of American Music. Adams has served as a panelist and lecturer nationally and internationally. He has received commissions from The McCormick Percussion Group, The McCormick Duo, the Robinson High School Percussion Ensemble (Tampa, FL), The Gulf Coast Community Band, The Leechburg (PA) High School Percussion Ensemble, the Louisiana State University Percussion Ensemble, the EOS flute and guitar duo, guitarist Kenneth Kam, VioLet, Lee Hinkle, Richard Nunemaker Studios, Selmer Paris, Buffet Crampon, and D’Addario Woodwinds. Adams’s music has been performed throughout the United States, and in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Costa Rica, Turkey, Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and South Korea. His music is recorded on Capstone Records, Ravello, Navona, Phasma, Ablaze, Potenza, Albany, and Summit Records.

Tianyi Wang

Tianyi Wang

Composer

Born in China, Tianyi Wang is an award-winning composer, conductor, and pianist, whose music vocabulary is diverse and much inspired by subjects beyond music. Tianyi’s repertoire spans over solo, chamber, choral, orchestral, and electronic, as well as film scoring.

His works have been performed by ensembles and festivals around the globe, including Darmstädter Ferienkurse (Germany), Boston Modern Orchestra Project (USA), impuls Festival (Austria), Festival Mixtur (Spain), Meitar Ensemble (Israel), iNEnesemble (Russia), Audiograft Festival (UK), Ashmolean Museum (UK), Ensemble MISE-EN (USA), and many others. Mr. Wang is the winner of 2018-19 New England Conservatory of Music Honors Composition Competition, 2018 BMOP/NEC Composition Competition, 2017 Longy Orchestral Composition Competition, and 2016 Sanya International Choral Festival. A recipient of China National Arts Fund in 2017, Mr. Wang is also a National Finalist of the 2019 American Prize and an Honorable Mention of the 2019 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute. Tianyi’s recent commissions include Alea III, Duo Fuego, Atlantic Music Festival, and Northeast Normal University (China). His music was released by ABLAZE Records in 2018.

Besides being a composer, Tianyi Wang’s outstanding piano skill won him the 2012 William Jewell Artist Competition and led to his concerto debut with Liberty Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Tianyi Wang collaborated with London Symphony Orchestra in a recording production at Abbey Road Studio, London. In 2015, he founded and directed Qinyin Chamber Ensemble and led public performances throughout the city of Changchun, China. Tianyi’s research paper on Xibo music was featured at the 31st International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Tianyi Wang is currently continuing his musical journey as a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, USA.

For more information on Tianyi Wang’s music, please visit www.tianyiwangmusic.com

Paul Paccione

Paul Paccione

Composer

PAUL PACCIONE is Professor Emeritus in Music Theory and Composition at Western Illinois University, Macomb. He holds degrees from the Mannes College of Music, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Iowa, where he received the PhD in 1983.

He began teaching at WIU in 1984 and retired from WIU in 2018. During his teaching career at Western, he received six Faculty Excellence Awards and was named the 1988 Outstanding Teacher in the College of Fine Arts. He was named Western Illinois University’s Distinguished Faculty Lecturer for 2002. In 2012, he received the Outstanding Creativity Award from Western’s College of Fine Arts. His opera “The World is Round,” based on a children’s book by Gertrude Stein, was premiered at WIU in 2014. He cofounded and codirected Western’s annual New Music Festival, which during his tenure hosted hundreds of guest composers from across the country.

His music is noted for its lyricism, distinctive orchestration, contrapuntal refinement, economy of means, and clarity of expression. Michael Cameron (Fanfare) has described his music as “consistently compelling, and often extraordinarily moving.” Writing for Music Web International, Glyn Pursglove writes “…this is thoughtful, inventive, and occasionally challenging music. He is a composer who evidently has a personality of his own and the ability to express that personality within more than one musical medium.” Brian Morton (The Wire) has made special note of the composer’s interest in the “mysterious effects of long duration.”

In 2010, New World Records released a CD recording devoted entirely to his music, titled, “Our Beauties Are Not Ours.” Additional recordings of his music are available on the Frog Peak and Capstone labels and through CD Baby. His scores are available through Frog Peak Music, Lebanon, New Hampshire.

He has lectured and written numerous articles on various aspects of modern music and particularly on the interplay of cultural conditions and compositional thought in the 20th and 21st centuries. His writings on music have appeared in Perspectives of New Music, ex tempore, College Music Symposium, American Music, Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, and liner notes for New World Records. He has been a preconcert lecturer for the Chicago Symphony.

www.paulpaccione.com

Mary Claire Miller

Mary Claire Miller

Composer

MARY CLAIRE MILLER (b. 1995) grew up with seven siblings on a small farm in northwest Ohio. She began studying piano when she was eight years old and continued studying music at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. There, Mary Claire was awarded Xavier’s Presidential and McCauley Music scholarships and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music.

She studied piano performance under Polina Bespalko and composition under Kaleel Skeirik, travelled abroad to teach general music and piano lessons in Costa Rica, performed as an accompanist for the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, and taught Pre-K through 8th grade general music in Napoleon, Ohio.

As an active member of greater Toledo’s musical community, Mary Claire founded the studio Field Lily Music to offer private piano lessons to local students. She was also awarded a tuition scholarship and music theory assistantship at Bowling Green State University, where she will complete a Master of Music Composition degree in 2020. At Bowling Green, she has studied under Marilyn Shrude and Christopher Dietz and has received additional instruction from Mikel Kuehn.

Mary Claire was recipient of the 2016 West Hills College Piano Award for her solo piano performances, and the National Federation of Music Clubs recognized Mary Claire’s piano solo Cenote Dos Ojos with the 2019 Marion Richter Composition Award. She continues to take special interest in piano solo composition and has an affinity for writing lullabies. She also strives to write poignant musical narratives which juxtapose moments of thoughtful intimacy with simple grandeur to create an experience that is authentic, unapologetically emotional, and visceral.

Andrea Reinkemeyer

Andrea Reinkemeyer

Composer

The music of American composer Andrea Reinkemeyer (b. 1976) “explores a reverent sound world that hovers just above the brink of silence” (Maggie Molloy, Second Inversion) and expresses “a gamut of emotions… from reverence and supplication to mournfulness and despair” (textura); it is “clever, funky, jazzy and virtuosic” (Geraldine Freeman, Schenectady Daily Gazette) and “hauntingly melodic and fun, dancing and almost running its way forward” (Marc Medwin, Fanfare).

Her current musical explorations focus on intersectional feminist narratives, natural phenomena, and grief. She has enjoyed recent commissions from: League of American Orchestras and Louisiana Philharmonic with generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation; Albany (NY) Symphony Orchestra; H. Robert Reynolds and Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings; Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield College; Rodney Dorsey for the University of Oregon Wind Ensemble and University Singers; and Rhymes with Opera. Her music is distributed by the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective and featured on recordings by In Mulieribus, Idit Shner, A/B Duo, and Post-Haste Reed Duo.

Dr. Reinkemeyer is an Associate Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Linfield University where she coordinates the Lacroute Composer Readings and Chamber Music Mentorship Program. She holds degrees in music composition from the University of Michigan (DMA and MM) and University of Oregon (BM). Born and raised in Oregon, she has also lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Bangkok, Thailand.

Allen McCullough

Allen McCullough

Composer

DR. ALLEN MCCULLOUGH, b.1978, is an active composer and pedagogue, currently teaching through the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

He has composed extensively for the piano, for voice, and has several entries in the string quartet genre; he has also written for full orchestra – he has composed both a concerto for piano and orchestra, and a symphony in five movements.  He has been commissioned by Chamber Music Yellow Springs, the Eakins Vocal Consort of Philadelphia, and the Lotte Lehman Foundation; he has procured grants from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, among other organizations. He has collaborated with internationally recognized artists and ensembles, including Yekwon Sunwoo – pianist and 2017 Van Cliburn gold medalist, Josef Spacek – violin soloist and concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Aeolus and Harlem String Quartets, among others.  He has earned three post-graduate degrees in musical composition, with his terminal degree (Ph.D.) in composition from the University of Pennsylvania.

Joo Won Park

Composer

DR. JOO WON PARK is an Assistant Professor of Music Technology at Wayne State University. He studied at Berklee College of Music (B.M.) and University of Florida (M.M. and Ph.D.) and has previously taught in Oberlin Conservatory, Temple University, Rutgers University Camden, and Community College of Philadelphia.

Dr. Park's music and writings are available on MIT Press, Parma Recordings, ICMC, Spectrum Press, Visceral Media, SEAMUS, and No Remixes labels. New Music USA and Knight Foundation have supported his Electronic Music Ensemble of Wayne State (EMEWS) and other recent projects.

Notes

A falling star has nothing to do with stars. It is caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids that swipe across Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. The trail of light thus created is a meteor. Since the ancient times, humans have been fascinated by changes in the unreachable sky. Falling stars, especially, have motivated countless myths, the most common being that one’s wishes can be granted.

On the contrary, the “falling” of a star depicts the death of an important person in Chinese Mythology. In Ancient China, each emperor was accompanied with a professional “star interpreter” who served to predict the kingdom’s future by studying the messages from God. It all seems mythical today, where myths and legends are largely despised by modern science. But if the Moon can exert tidal force on the Oceans, whereas Man is composed mostly of water, a meteoroid approaching close to Earth’s surface must affect the living beings in ways we are yet to understand. Perhaps the creation of this composition is infused with hidden meanings from such phenomenon.

— Dr. Andre’ E. Godsey, Sr.

Chimera is a musical triptych, based on a poem by the composer, that explores a reverse chronology of life’s journey, from adulthood back to childhood. The sectional thematic material and contrasting styles reflect the evolving stanzas of the poem, returning through a blissful escape back into a child-like state of mind:

Chimera

Breath of fire, head strong,
Facade of ferocity,
The lion roars.

A narrow escarpment,
Precariously agile,
The goat ascends.

Aloft on the summit,
Blithe to the sunset and pain,
Writhing in joyful rounds,
We are kids at play.

Hymn for the Arc Harvester is for seven or more pitch-based instruments. Players may play any combination of instruments that have the ability to play pitch.

This work uses unspecified pitch in its entirety. The music is notated on single-line staves. Performers may choose pitch content for these pitches while conforming to the general contour of the line, as indicated by placement of note heads relative to the horizontal line. The middle line should be considered the mid-range for the instrument.

The work evokes a rigorous metrical vitality in which all instruments explore pitch freely within a steadfastly unison rhythmic space.

The title is a reference to an ancient, mythological creature who aided farmers in their annual harvest through its natural metamorphoses into various forms which brought about changes in weather patterns.

Hymn for the Arc Harvester was composed for the 2019 Southeastern Contemporary Ensemble and was premiered by the ensemble on March 19th, 2019.

A reflecting pool is designed with its perimeter basin deeper than its center, as to prevent the formation of waves, thus preserving the undistorted but amplified mirror image of its subject. Accordingly, the title of the piece is based on the contrapuntal relationship between the two instrumental parts, which is based on modified mirror images of motives, rhythmic patterns, and extended performance techniques such as alternate fingerings on a single pitch, tongue slaps, and multiphonics. Metric modulations and frequent changes of time signature and rhythmic subdivisions are used to maintain tension between pulse and temporal fluidity.

The clarinet and bass clarinet alternate between the roles of subject and reflection as slightly modified musical figures are passed between them, beginning with the alternation of rapid passages and long durations and followed by freely imitative passages that suggest the effect of tossing a pebble or coin into the otherwise placid body of water.

A work inspired by the strings’ various timbral colors. Dark Blessing explores an ethereal and ominous sonic realm as if a dark rite takes place. The beauty of darkness surrounds us all.

The text is the fragment “Visus per omnes sensus recurrit” (“All the senses are called seeing”). It is taken from a sermon preached by poet John Donne on Easter-Day in 1628.

The piece consists of one unfolding of the text and is performed as one uninterrupted flowing drone. The manner in which the individual sounds are formed is equivalent for each voice, with no perceptible break in the sound when sounds are transferred from one voice to another. The normal singing voice is senza vibrato and the dynamic is piano sonoro throughout.

The most characteristic aspect of the setting is heard in the sustained pitches and prolonged vowel sounds that at times produce resonant overtones. The harmonies are formed from a symmetrical set of six pitches (F-G-D-A-E-F#). The pitches F-natural and F-sharp individually appear only once in the composition, on the word “sensus”.

I’ve been influenced by the contemplative nature of much minimalist art and sculpture and the way in which its unique sense of presence informs the process of beholding. In this sense, my compositional approach could best be described as minimalist. Shared in common is an aspiration toward openness and clarity.

After a long day in the muggy Ohio heat, one finds repose in the balmy twilight, filled with the soft pinks and blues of cumulonimbus clouds, the pixie-glow of fireflies, and the tranquil evening sounds of the countryside. Cards is a window into a collection of fond memories of summer evenings spent on a screened-in-porch, enjoying the rural peace, a couple hands of Euchre with family, and perhaps even a little ice cream. Yet the piece explores an underlying introverted personality, one for which there is a fine line between much-needed alone time and loneliness. A nighttime thunder storm and the company of a beloved sister are grounding. Cards is dedicated with love and gratitude to Kate Miller, with whom I am free to be completely ridiculous.

- Mary Claire Miller

Wild Silk for Baritone Saxophone, Percussion and Piano (2009) was commissioned by Jeffrey Heisler for the Primary Colors Trio, who premiered the work during the thirtieth annual Bowling Green State University (Ohio) New Music Festival in Bryan Recital Hall on October 24, 2009.

While composing this work, I found inspiration in the strikingly beautiful and elusive Luna Moth. The form, character, and instrumentation of this piece follows its surprisingly violent life cycle, from: egg to caterpillar, pupa, and adult moth. In the first stage, the caterpillar grows rapidly, passing through five instars by breaking through its own skin five times. It then forms a silken cocoon, within which the pupa wriggles noisily during metamorphosis. Once the adult moth emerges, it must focus on the crazed goal of propagation. Deprived of a mouth, it is only a matter of hours or days until the imago will perish from exhaustion. Without any way to nourish and sustain itself, the adult’s sole purpose is to replace its ephemeral generation with a new one just as fleeting – a form of renewal that seems, to me, to mirror the constant self-reinvention that human artists undergo as the world changes around us.

Many thanks to Jeffrey Heisler, Isabelle Huang, I-Chen Yeh, and Brian Amer for their artistic support of this project. In 2011, the International Alliance of Women in Music recognized Wild Silk with an Honorable Mention for the Theodore Front Prize. This recording was made possible through a faculty grant and the 2019 Julie Olds and Thomas L. Hellie Faculty Award for Creative Achievement at Linfield University.

–Notes by Andrea Reinkemeyer and Sabine Ganezer

The Ugly Duckling (story by Hans Christian Andersen) was composed in 2010, and is the central composition in the composer’s seven-piece suite for piano Legends and Tales.  Composed for pianist Elizabeth Pridgen, Legends and Tales was commissioned by the Office of the Provost at Mercer University, where the composer was on faculty from 2009-2013.

Each work from the suite is based on fairy tales, myths, or legends – particularly those geared toward the fanciful nature of childhood.  Notes from the premiere performance for The Ugly Duckling are as follows:

“Beauty can be found in almost anything.That which seems ugly at first might be transformed into something beautiful, or might attain a sense of beauty retrospectively.  (Hindsight is especially remarkable in shaping our perceptions.)

Even the faint dimness of what was once seen as ugly can shine in the warmth of beauty.”

Hungry (music by Joo Won Park, poem by Jenifer DeBellis) is an intimate conversation between the guitar and the voice on being hungry and deprived. The electronic part in the piece represents the hunger: it influences the person's thoughts, emotions, and actions, however subtle or disruptive it is. The piece was commissioned by The Oakland University Guitar Ensemble as a part of their Bridging the Gaps: Guitars for Social Justice project.

Scores

Falling Stars (excerpt)

Chin Ting Chan

Chimera (excerpt)

Bradford Blackburn

Hymn for the Arc Harvester

Philip Schuessler

Reflecting Pool (purchase)

Daniel Adams

Dark Blessing (excerpt)

Tianyi Wang

Saint John Turned To See The Sound

Paul Paccione

Wild Silk (excerpt)

Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

The Ugly Duckling (excerpt)

Allen McCullough

Hungry

Joo Won Park