Consortium Details
Below you can find details on active commissioning consortia for new compositions I'm currently working on. If a work is on this page, it's open to prospective consortium members. If you have questions about any open consortia, please feel free to contact me directly.
Symphony No. 1 (Symphonic Biomimetic)
Versions for Orchestra and Wind Ensemble
Approximate Total Length: 18-20 Minutes
Anticipated Delivery Date: October 1, 2023
(electronic delivery)
Orchestral version instrumentation:
3/3/3/3 - 4/2/3/1 - timp - 3 perc. - harp - strings
Wind Ensemble version instrumentation:
picc., 4 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon;
4 Bb clarinets, 2 Bb Bass clarinets, Bb contrabass clarinet;
sop sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax;
4 C trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones (3rd b. tbn), 2 euph., 2 tba;
double bass; timp; 5 percussionists.
While at a residency at The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Manasota Key, Florida (having been nominated by Maestro Robert Spano), I was inspired to begin composing a multi-movement work for a large ensemble. The piece has grown as I've continued to work on it, and it's become clear to me that it's a Symphony. I suppose if I'm the kind of composer who writes something and calls it "A Symphony," I should go ahead and write one before I turn 40!
The piece draws some (very loose) inspiration from Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis (which, incidentally, turns 80 in the 2023-24 season), and having spent some time with both Hindemith's score and Keith Wilson's band arrangement, I decided to concurrently write both an orchestral version and a winds version. After all, it was the band version that introduced me Symphonic Metamorphosis circa 20 years ago as a teenage bassoonist, well before hearing the orchestral version.
My general fascination with how art and music can provide a platform for reflection on issues related to technology is reflected in this piece, which opens with The Kingfisher and the Bullet Train. The first movement, which is now complete, taps into the concept of biomimicry, modeling technological design after patterns/forms found in nature. As the piece progresses, I'm finding inspiration in broader ideas that spin out from this concept: shifting from ideas about how tech design mimics nature, to our collective intrigue (and confusion) on how we design technology to mimic humanity– particularly as we hurl ourselves forward through advancing the capacity of A.I.
After a busy academic year at UGA, I'm ready to buckle down and finish this piece this summer. If your orchestra or wind ensemble is interested in joining this consortium, please be in touch!
CLICK HERE for a PDF and mock-up of movement 1:
"The Kingfisher and the Bullet Train"
Consortium Commission Fee for "Symphony 1: Symphonic Biomimetic"
$350