CHAMBER MUSIC

Prior to The Missing, I’d never composed specifically for dance. I consciously relinquished the scholastic agendas I’d been exposed to in my education (and which I’d always rebelled against anyway) and sought whatever would allow dancers to feel the music viscerally. Not cerebrally. For example, I committed to repetition in the base line and brought it way down low to reach the vibrations that only thick wires can hit your gut with. I was also very deliberate with the long-range crescendo and decrescendo of this piece: each section feeds into the next - ever driving, pushing, and climaxing. Serendipitously, The Missing found a home at Eryc Taylor Dance. Although informed by the traditional language of modern dance, no heady agenda ever interferes with the raw emotional impact that Eryc’s work must make first and foremost. The choreography transformed a muscular piano solo into an emotionally powerful experience.

After spending a weekend rehearsal retreat with the dancers of Eryc Taylor Dance, I observed modern dance is frequently adverse - if not afraid - to exploring stillness. To permit light to enter the density of all that movement. As a composer, that fear is very relatable. In reaction, I wrote Song for Cello and Piano to inspire and encourage choreography to breathe and contrast all that go, go, go.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

EARTH SERIES

Vocal music