So apparently, I haven’t written a post since the last time I made an annual overview, which I must admit is a bit lazy of me. Let’s break that habit in 2022. But first, since nothing was written in 2021 about what I was up to, let me do a quick rundown of everything!
In 2021 I wrote 4 pieces totaling roughly 55 minutes of music (!!). I saw premiere performances for 6 pieces and was lucky enough to travel across the country once for one of those premieres. Traveling seems like a distant memory now.
Del Sol Quartet asked me to join their Joy Project by writing a short little piece on the theme of “joy.” The result was Sometimes Bursting, a piece about how joy is fleeting. It comes in small moments, but those moments leave such an impact and are worth holding on to.
Guitar virtuoso Jamie Monck commissioned me sometime last year for a solo electric guitar + electronics piece which became The world doesn’t need me. I have a lot of thoughts about this piece and we have a great recording coming out this year so I might just save those thoughts for the release instead. I’m so very proud of this one.
A joint commission by GLFCAM and Utah State University resulted in my mixed chamber piece Loved and Feared. There’s a program note and a video of the premiere that you must watch. The students at Utah State just absolutely nailed the energy of the piece and were some of the most thoughtful and curious musicians I’ve ever worked with.
I had two world premieres over the summer for pieces that had been postponed due to the pandemic. Observer was written for the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. It’s a large chamber piece about my love of the filmography of director Kelly Reichardt. A very chill vibe, I must say. The second performance was my piece for the National Flute Association’s High School Solo Competition. For Each Inch Cut was written way back in 2019, but finally getting to hear the piece live last year was a small bit of joy I really needed.
Lastly, a big project came to fruition in the fall with the help of the Krannert Art Museum and Allerton Park. What Stays Behind is a 30-minute piece for strings and percussion that invites the audience to live inside of the sounds rather than outside as a spectator. We were able to have this piece performed twice, once at the museum and once at the park, which resulted in two wonderfully diverse performances. I’ll have footage from the performances as well as some personal thoughts on the piece soon.
Aside from composition projects, I also produced, engineered, and contributed on five different releases (!) which should all be coming out sometime this year. I’ll be talking about those as they get announced.
That’s my quick 2021 rundown. More news and announcements for 2022 are coming very soon. So much is already underway! Take care, friends, and please reach out.