Duration: 2’30”

Commissioner: Drew Hosler (Website | YouTube )

Drew Hosler commissioned Hopeful as part of both Commissions from Quarantine and as part of his 2020 album, Hope Will Carry Us. Beginning with a series of swelling tremolos and trills that vary in speed, the work explodes into a dancing, raucous section punctuated by footstomps. The work builds to a climactic arrival before lilting downward once more, moving through both fully-pitched and breathy tones.

Pricing

Digital: $0!

All works in the Commissions from Quarantine series are available for free.

alto sax version available upon request

Duration: 6’15”

Commissioner: Sarah Hetrick (Website | YouTube) and Paul Millette (Website | YouTube)

Commissioned by saxophonist Sarah Hetrick and percussionist Paul Millette, ROOTED is inspired by the various uses of roots in the works of Frida Kahlo. Roots were used in Kahlo’s paintings for a wide array of meanings—to depict feelings of being trapped or in pain (particularly in works dealing with her hospitalizations), to show feeling more grounded and growing outward, and even to portray connections to her cultural history. The piece opens with shuddering breaths from the saxophonist and cold, mechanical tones in the marimba before blossoming outward into tangled, flowing lines with whimsical outbursts. Pervasive rhythms, expressive solo moments, playful hocketing, and powerful tutti arrivals work to create a dynamic and virtuosic showcase piece while paying homage to one of the 20th century’s greatest artistic voices.

Pricing

Digital: $20

PDF includes a full score (transposed and/or in C) and separate parts for each performer, formatted for page turns.

A version with piano in place of marimba will be available December 2023!

This work is in three movements:

1. Morning (4’45”)
2. Afternoon (3’30”)
3. Evening (4’00”)

Duration: 12’15”

Commissioner: Sarah Hetrick, Nicole Gillotti, and Tatiana Gorbunova

Inspired by a summer road trip along the 101 Coastal Highway, Road Trip 101 is a tour-de-force in ensemble playing, often challenging players to pick up lines and blur textures seamlessly across voices. In Morning, the initial fog quickly lifts as the piano continuously motors along in vibrantly incessant pulses as the other voices sound car horn unisons, swerving lines, thick tremolo interruptions, and large leaps. The fog returns at the end of the movement, signaling the start of a hot, buzzy afternoon. Afternoon attempts to capture both the usual sleepy feeling a hot summer sun can bring, as well as fits of energy as one tries to rouse themselves. Noble efforts to awake often slink back to a slumber. The movement slows to a quiet finish, ever dimming. In Evening, we hear both the sparkling shimmer of stars as well as the rich darkness of night. This lush movement basks in the adventures of the day before drifting away into the night.

Pricing

Full score, digital: $35

Per movement, digital: $12

PDF includes a full performance score (transposed and/or in C), and solo parts for the saxophone and trumpet, formatted for page turns.

Note: only movement 2 uses flugelhorn and soprano saxophone

To read more about this work, visit the blog post linked here.

Duration: 5’45”

Commissioner: SANS; duo (Website)

Commissioned by SANS; duo members Brian Ellis (guitar) and Jonathan Hostottle (saxophone) during the pandemic, Cross-Talk was written as part of a concert of pieces premiered from two coasts simultaneously on Zoom. Needing to make the score flexible enough to work with the inevitable lag but still maintain the feeling of connection and interactivity, the piece plays on this struggle as the voices begin to “talk past” one another. The result is a work that ebbs and flows between order and chaos, giving the listeners a fun challenge to identify just how much is specified in advance.

Pricing

Full score, digital: $20

PDF includes a full performance score (transposed and formatted for page turns).

To read more about this work, visit the blog post linked here.

Duration: 7'30"

Commissioner: Joshua Thomas, Bassless Trio (Website)

Joshua Thomas commissioned this work both as part of my Project 12 series, and also as part of the Bassless Trio project to commission works about the pandemic told from the perspective of inanimate objects. Having just moved to Portland in January of 2020, there was a lot to think about—the lockdowns, the protests, the pandemic, the wildfires. Spending most of 2020 in a one-bedroom apartment with my partner, I would often spend time gazing out the window. I have a fantastic view of the city and the forests beyond, and could see much of the robust train and streetcar network, so I took the TriMet as inspiration for this piece. The trains were one of the few things that kept moving during most of the pandemic. Clamorous effects, huge contrasts in texture, and passing text between players create a vibrant opening that becomes thinner and more sparse as the piece progresses. For groups looking to do something a bit more theatrical, this is a great challenge that will showcase both individual players as well as ensemble playing.

Pricing

Digital: $25

PDF includes a score (transposed and/or in C) as well as individual parts for saxophone and cello, formatted for page turns