Commissioned for Elinor Armer’s 75th Birthday Celebration

Program Note: When presented with the opportunity to write for Elly’s festivities, overwhelmed ridiculosity ensued. There were too many options. I would have loved to work on a grand opera that reached the absurd puns saturation point, but time and instrumentation restraints brought me back down to
earth. Elly helped instill a love of plundering other composers’ work. This inspired my tinkering with Bach’s “Gavotte in G Minor BWV 822”. The arrived at dance has little in common with the baroque gavotte. Instead an attempt at rhythmic, Milhaudian joy is offered in celebration of the greatest mentor, composer, inspiration and friend.

Recording Coming Soon

“My Toy Bullion” for Chamber Orchestra is impish fixation and fervent tinkering withJ.S. Bach’s Goldberg Aria.[bandcamp track=139183005 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

Premiered:
Nicole Paiement conducting the
SFCM New Music Ensemble
San Francisco, California on April 17, 2012

[bandcamp album=2479284770 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=grande3]

This two movement piece for chamber orchestra is an ode to the impracticality of music study, a tribute to those that embrace it regardless, and a befitting dedication to the inspiring and timeless Sarah Alice.[bandcamp track=1748605702 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti][bandcamp track=4038837148 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

Premiere Recordings:
University of the Pacific in Stockton, California on March 1, 2008

“Our hero forcefully confronts the lie of his hallucination; with disorienting torment allowed – then embraced. Hashtag Don’t Do Drugs.”

Premiered:
Jacques Desjardins conducting the
SFCM New Music Ensemble April 12, 2011