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FLASH
SALE
(2024)
For piano and live loops
Commissioned and performed by Sakurako Kanemitsu
Flash sale examines the origins and consequences of consumer apathy. Consumerism's central role in our globalized world yields a society in which identity formation is achieved largely through the purchase and use of goods and services. As the pace of fashion cycles accelerate, so too does the importance of scrutinizing rhetoric normalizing over-consumption, and compelling consumers to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of millions of labor workers– children– worldwide.
Lori
An Opera for our Stolen Sisters
"Lori, an Opera for our Stolen Sisters, takes place in San Antonio, Texas, where incidents of kidnapping and human trafficking have risen sharply in the past years. The victims of this crisis are often teenage, Indigenous and Hispanic girls, many of whom are immigrants or the children of immigrants: the ones working the most difficult jobs for the lowest pay and keeping our society afloat. Yet, Governor Greg Abbott chooses to blame these same immigrants for the rise in human trafficking, ignoring the crisis and instead focusing their attention on banning abortions, increasing civilian gun ownership, and other unrelated issues that keep Texans, especially young women, living in fear...
..Through Lori, we hope to call your attention to the crisis of leadership in Texas, and encourage our audience to support Texas organizations dedicated to combating Human Trafficking and providing support to survivors."
-Sydney Perez, Librettist/Soprano
Open Ears
SSAATTBB Chior and Chamber String Ensamble
“Listening, standing witness, creates an openness to the world in which the boundaries between us can dissolve in a raindrop.“ ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
"Open Ears is a choral setting of a poem I wrote in the spring of 2020. During that time, I sought solace and inspiration in the beauty of the Earth, finding goodness in the act of living. As I immersed myself in the wonders of the natural world, I realized that listening played a vital role in observation and perceptive awareness.
Upon returning to school, I came across the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, a Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology and a member of the Potawatomi Nation. Her unique perspective, expanded on in her book "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants," resonated deeply with me. Kimmerer's insights furthered my understanding of the natural world and served as a catalyst for the creation of "Open Ears."
After two years of slowly setting my text, “Open Ears” became a piece for SSAATTBB Choir and String Quartet. It debuted on March 4th, 2023, in Longy’s Pickman Hall."
Score Sample
Relational Ontology
Vibraphone Trio
composed for Third Coast Percussion.
The vibraphone’s full, lush, and lingering overtone series inspired an applied study of Relational Ontology and Systems Theory. While composing this piece I aimed to create a texture where the basic condition of the sound world mimics the basic condition in all worlds. As relational ontology asserts relationships between entities are more important than the entities themselves, I composed each line in regards to the others. Techniques employed include pedal, bow, wire brush glissando, metal mallet stirring. Composed and performed Fall 2021.
Score Sample
Dancing With Broken Toes
String Quartet
Composed for ETHEL.
I Will Be Worthy of It
SSSAA & Piano
Lyr. Pamela Vinning Yule
'I Will Be Worthy of it is an SSSAA choral work with piano accompaniment. I located the text under the google search 'public domain poems' (a sneaky little copyright dodging tactic), and the music flowed out of its character and notions of resilience. Composed September 2019, finalized December 2021, debuted April 2022.
(This performance features Sun Min Kim, Anne Marie Mccombs, Lanie Rogers, Kathryn Cahoon, Sophie LeMay, Clara Logan, Charlotte Koonce)
Kids with Sticks
Score Sample
Third Coast Percussion Performing Kids with Sticks
(Beginning at 9 minutes 20 seconds.)
Sleep
String Quartet
Composed for ETHEL.
Original composition for string quartet and voice. inspired by and incorporating the words of Jennifer Hambrick. Composed October 2019 and reified with ETHEL.
Drip
Percussion Quartet
“Drip” is an exploration of the music that can grow and develop out of unremarkable elements of everyday soundscapes. Percussive composition is an invitation to explore beyond the confines of accented downbeats and the security of sustained chords. Unfortunately, this notion conflicts with my compositional style’s defining features; accented downbeats and sustained chords. After weeks of waiting for a rhythmic revelation, serendipity struck in the form of a leaky shower faucet with ~groove~. I recorded the beat provided by these sustained drips of water and transcribed it into the wood block part that subsequently became the soul of the piece. It was this recording that informed the rhythmic variety in the various melodic themes.
Good Grievances
3 Violins, Viola, Cello, PianO