I enjoy playing abstract strategy games but I’m not very good at them. One game that I would really like to play more and get better at is Go. Where the game of chess has opening moves and gambits and whatnots, in Go there is the concept of “joseki” or what kinds of stone placements…
Category: Electroacoustic
Danger Tree for horn and fixed media (2019)
The first World War was particularly devastating to the population of the Canadian province of Newfoundland, in which it has been said that every family on the island suffered a loss in the conflict. Prior to 1949, Newfoundland was a colony of the British Empire and during the first World War, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment…
Slipping By (2020)
Slipping By is a collaborative dance film created with Heather Trommer-Beardslee, Ann Dasen, Paul Collins, and Eric Limarenko. The inspiration came from how the spirits of the past can continue to inhabit a space even after they are gone. The film has been accepted to the International Fine Arts Film Festival, IMARP – Mostra Internacional de…
What the Voyeur Wants (2019)
Choreographer Andrea Purrenhage and I were talking about possible projects and over the course of the discussion we realized that we were both inspired by the poem: “What the Voyeur Wants” by CMU faculty poet Jeffrey Bean. The poet’s reading of his work forms the backbone of the piece. The choreography for solo dancer was…
Calling for euphonium and drone (2014)
Very often, it seems, my music takes on a life of its own. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I started this composition but it didn’t take long for the piece to decide what it wanted to be. The sources of the tape part are not important. The inspiration for the…
Clans (2018)
Another collaboration with biologist Wiline Pangle, choreographer Heather Tommer-Beardslee, and costume designer Ann Dasen with contributions from puppeteer Nicole Graziano. Clans takes inspiration from Dr. Pangle’s dissertation work studying the behaviors of hyenas. The piece is in 5 sections: Hunt, Play, Mate, Motherhood, Explore. The video is of the first performance by the Central Michigan University…
for Larry Craig (2017)
While going through airport security a few years ago, Heather Trommer-Beardslee turned to me and said “Ever since the Larry Craig scandal I’ve wanted to do a tap dance piece based in a bathroom stall.” So, of course, we made one. Rather than poke fun or mock the event, we made a work about “Public…
The Allegory (2017)
Based on Plato’s Cave Allegory, this work was conceived and choreographed by Andrea Purrenhage. This video is from the dress rehearsal of the Central Michigan University Dance Company in April 2017.
Dunes (2016)
This work, inspired by the ecological succession found in Michigan sand dunes, was performed at the Regeneration Dance Festival in Detroit in April 2016. Choreographed by Heather Trommer-Beardslee with costumes by Ann Dasen. Inspiration and lectures were provided by biologist Wiline Pangle.
All Our Broken Instruments (2015) for percussion and electronics
Composed in the summer of 2015 for Andrew Spencer, All Our Broken Instruments is a musical adaptation of the Robert Fanning poem “May Our Young Find Music in All Our Broken Instruments.” The percussion soloist speaks the poem’s text while playing a mixed batch of instruments and triggering the electroacoustic sounds. Download the score: All Our…