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.
Songs My Radio Taught Me (Book 2) (2015)
I have a problem. As a composer, I’m supposed to write Extremely Serious Music (ESPECIALLY for orchestra). My problem is that, as a man of my age, I listened to a lot of music from the ‘80s. And I still do. I have several pieces in my catalog which draw on ‘80s hits and abstract …
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.
The Enemy (2016)
This is a dance collaboration I did with Andrea Purrenhage in April 2016. Andrea came to me with the structure and story of the dance and the theme of “time as the enemy.”
Word of the Day for mezzo-soprano, flute, and bass clarinet (2015)
This piece was composed for Tracy Watson and the Crescent Duo (Joanna and Kennen White). Based on the poem “Orbs (Word of the Day)” by Joanna White. Download the score: Word of the Day Download the voice/piano version: Word of the Day A recording can be found here!
Stalker for solo percussionist (2016)
Stalker is based on the book Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and was composed for Aaron Ragsdale. In this book, aliens have visited Earth and left strange objects behind in certain “zones” around the globe. Stalkers are black market dealers who enter these zones and procure these rare and often dangerous objects. In …
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 …
Abstain Red Hells for soprano saxophone and fixed media
Abstain Red Hells takes its title from a movement of a forgotten piece of mine for flute and soprano saxophone. The basic idea of a stubborn ostinato and a tense-yet-lyrical melody was played out in the very small scale in this earlier piece and has since been liberated into a bigger and more open musical …
Downtown Mt. Pleasant – Revitalization
In August 2016, artists took to some of the empty storefronts in Mt. Pleasant, MI. My artist partner in crime, Heather Trommer-Beardslee, is always looking for ways to put music and dance into unexpected places. She asked me for a handful of pieces to choreograph and took a handful of dancers to go play in …
ArtBattle 2015
On July 30, 2015, Heather Trommer-Beardslee and I participated in our local Art Battle. Visual artists gathered to create new art in 2 hours and this year, we decided to throw a dance/music collaboration into the mix. We started at 6 PM and by 8 PM we had a 4 minute dance piece. While Heather …