Choral / Vocal Works

Premiered by Maestro Brendan Harper and the Catholic University of America Concert Choir at the CUA Spring 2024 Concert Choir and Orchestra Concert.

Composer Note:

Fierce, menacing material opens this piece, and the repeated "Alleluia," sometimes presented as fragmented syllables, becomes a dark, almost vicious anthem. The darkness seems total as the piece crashes into somber middle section where the first new text is presented. "Glory to your passion / long suffering, O Lord" contemplates the simultaneous since of awe and tragedy at the death of Jesus Christ, and staggered cadences emphasize the murky atmosphere. But suddenly, the "Alleluia" returns in major keys, and an unstoppable forward motion propels the piece to a finish whose fierceness is now joyful. If there is any lingering menace, it is the fearsome power and glory of the risen Christ. 

Upcoming premiere in Fall 2025 at "Alex Irwin & James Krom: Art Songs of Love, Memory, and Hope":

• Alex Irwin, voice

• James Krom, piano

Composer Note:

Across this collection of four art songs setting five poems of Matthew Galbraith, the singer compares comforting and frightening aspects of the world, ultimately turning towards God as the answer to the questions raised by these juxtapositions.

“Beatus” opens with bell-like gestures that seem to summon the singer to morning prayer. As this prayer continues, it becomes increasingly passionate, and the “bells” that close the movement only put a halt to the prayer for the moment without fully resolving its plea.

But the prayer seems distant later that day “In the Garden,” where the singer focuses on the cheerful comfort of tending directly to the Earth. Just as distant as the prayer are the dangers and temptations of the world, but the singer cannot avoid considering them before finally reaffirming the natural beauty of the garden.

That night, the singer hears (or dreams of) “The Train,” a distant figure whose lonesome whistle simultaneously unites it to the singer (though only for a timeless moment) and summons an inexplicable loneliness in the singer as well.

With little warning, that loneliness is responded to with menacing material that appears multiple times within “Once—To Comfort Me.” The singer’s conviction that God will respond to the pleas that were never truly answered in “Beatus” is challenged, especially as the singer is reminded of the frailty of the human condition. But after a wordless musical interlude, the singer’s faith is reaffirmed and the piece surges towards an overwhelming, triumphant conclusion.

Upcoming full premiere in Fall 2025 at "Alex Irwin & James Krom: Art Songs of Love, Memory, and Hope":

• Paul Yeater, voice

• John Makara, piano

Fourth movement premiered in Fall 2024 at Carnegie Mellon University's Composition Studio Concert:

• Alex Irwin, voice

• James Krom, piano

Composer Note:

In four connected movements, For Once, Then, Something sets Robert Frost’s selected poetry in a narrative arc: the singer searches for truth and wonder in a world that continually seems arbitrary and mundane. The "Fireflies in the Garden” remind the singer of stars, but unlike true stars (that are out of reach), the fireflies on earth last only a short time. An increased sense of wistfulness or resignation occurs in “A Patch of Old Snow” when the singer considers whether the grimy object in the corner is snow or a newspaper, noting that either way the item has been forgotten, disused, and discarded.

All these hints of disillusionment with the world are fully realized in “Out, Out—” the brutal tragedy of a young boy being mutilated and killed by a saw followed by the seeming apathy of the witnesses who decide to go on with their day all contribute to the singer’s sense that the world is not just arbitrary but hostile, especially to those who search it for meaning. Accordingly, the jarring opening of “For Once, Then, Something” depicts mockery of the singer whose own reflection blocks them from seeing anything deeper in the well they kneel beside. But ultimately, the fact that something surely was hidden in the depths of the well is enough to leave the singer with a sense of hope, just as our own search for truth should be guided by certainty that such truth does exist… though maybe not at the bottom of a well.

Premiered in Spring 2024 at The Blake Project, a Catholic University of America Composition Department concert:

• Emma Markey, voice

• Balance Campaign, ensemble

Composer Note:

In this setting of William Blake's poem "The Sick Rose," the vocalist portrays a young individual writing a letter to Rose, their friend and love interest. The writer wishes to warn Rose that the man she is currently in a relationship with is not good for her, but as the piece continues the young writer becomes increasingly bitter and resentful, beginning to exaggerate wildly. Many harmonies and motifs in this piece are taken from Edward MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose, which also inspired the title; although Blake’s text may be used to describe Rose and her relationship, To A Sick Rose is really about the young person portrayed by the vocalist and how this young person’s letter, distorted like MacDowell’s beautiful musical material, reflects their inner turmoil. 

Text by William Blake, public domain. 

Premiered in Fall 2024 at my senior degree recital at The Catholic University of America:

• Gabriel Thompson, tenor

• Lucy Dunne, piano

Composer Note:

A Dreamer is a monodramatic setting of a short excerpt from the beginning of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Caesar is processing through the city with his advisors, but a soothsayer wishes to speak to him. Three distinct groups of characters are distinguished musically: Caesar, his advisors, and the soothsayer. Although Caesar is interested in learning what the soothsayer has to say, he is not impressed by the strange warning to “beware the ides of March.” The procession moves on but the accompaniment fades away to end in dissonance as if Caesar is traveling towards his tomb. 

Premiered in Fall 2024 at my senior degree recital at The Catholic University of America:

• Emily Douglass, mezzo-soprano

• Lucy Dunne, piano

Composer Note:

Macbeth Doth Come is a short monodramatic setting of a scene from the beginning of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Macbeth. The three witches are characterized through register and gesture (both visual and musical). The music moves between eeriness and menace as the three witches meet and discuss their various evil deeds and plans. Suddenly, low, grand tremolos announce that “Macbeth Doth Come,” and the witches jump into action to prepare their spells for him.