Stormbreak for Orchestra

I recently finished work on an adaptation of Stormbreak for symphony orchestra. This piece was originally written for medium-easy percussion ensemble (with optional wind ensemble accompaniment) and it's been a popular piece in the Tapspace catalog.

This new version maintains most of the approach of the original but adds a slightly new twist to the middle section where the snare, toms, and timpani players each take a small solo. It makes use of a lot of col legno from the strings, adding to the percussive nature of the piece.

I created this mock-up recording in Logic Pro X using Virtual Drumline and various string, brass, and woodwind libraries from Cinesamples. Since the piece is primarily a stand-alone percussion ensemble and the orchestra is added to it, it can get a little thick and heavy-handed at times. A lot of music I write ends up this way. The insecure part of me struggles with this. My rational side recognizes that this is just supposed to be a fun, educational piece that hopefully keeps players and audiences engaged. 

This version of Stormbreak was commissioned by Nathan Matherne from the Cibola High School Symphony in Albuquerque, NM. It will be performed at their New Mexico State Orchestra competition in April 2016.

The Eternal Domi Síbe

In 2009, I composed a piece for percussion ensemble called Compound Autonomy. I recently recalled something about my naming process of the piece. 

I'd practically forgotten about this (or maybe I'd hoped to erase it from my memory), but when I first wrote this piece, I had subtitled it The Eternal Domi Síbe. Here's what that's supposed to mean. 

Much of the foundation of the piece is based on a repetitive pattern of the solfège syllables "Do" followed by "Me" (the minor version of "Mi"), in a pattern of 7 beats. "Síbe," roughly translates to "Seven" in German, the language spoken in Zürich, Switzerland - home of Nik Bärtch, the composer whose music inspired me to write this piece. 

Whew...talk about an intellectual exercise! Reflecting on this, it seems really contrived to manufacture such a complicated, mysterious-sounding subtitle. I love Nik Bärtch and his music, but I never used solfège nor do I speak German. Get over yourself, dude! 

I'm glad I didn't publish it that way. The finalized subtitle "for percussion ensemble" does the trick just fine. Hopefully the music will speak for itself without needing to allude to some sort of forced meaning.

Fight or Flight - New piece for concert band

Last summer, I completed my first fully fledged concert band piece called Fight or Flight.

Since I’ve never actually delved into a full-on wind ensemble piece, I wanted to wait until it had been successfully performed before saying much about it. It was initially commissioned by Hunter McRae and Mary Wilson from the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic band to be premiered at the GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association) convention in Savannah, GA in January of 2013.

Since then, a few other ensembles have taken a crack at the piece, and I now have a couple live recordings posted, as well as making the score available for purchase right here on my little old website. 

Greta on the Greenway

I recently completed the music for another project produced by Animated Traffic Law. Commissioned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, this traffic safety video was designed to educate viewers about greenway features, safe cycling routes, and “sharrows.”

The soundtrack is intended to create a dramatic build to accompany the family's bicycle journey. The intro and outro utilize a typewriter as an symbol of the government agency presentation, while the samba infused music it accompanies creates a fun and festive atmosphere.

For more info on my commerical work, go here.

New Music for 2012

I’ve recently finished my first fully fledged wind ensemble piece, titled Fight or Flight. It was commissioned by the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic Band from Sugar Hill, Georgia. It will be performed in January 2013 at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Conference in Savannah.

Also, I’ve been asked to reorchestrate Cache 22 - a military drum piece I originally wrote for the Hellcats of the West Point Military Academy. This rearrangement has been adapted for a more conventional drumline instrumentation and will be performed by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville under the direction of Andy Bliss.

"Meanwhile in a Parallel Universe" completed

At long last, I’ve finished my latest piece titled “Meanwhile in a Parallel Universe.” It’s written to feature a solo marimba accompanied by percussion ensemble and is scheduled to premiere in Singapore in March 2012. 

The piece was a joint commission from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore (Jonathan Fox, director), and Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA (Dr. Gifford Howarth, director). Giff first approached me about this project a year ago, and it came with the blessing (and curse) of not really being due until Fall of this year. Since most of my time these days has been dedicated to keeping the wheels turning with Tapspace, my challenge lied in dedicating writing time in smaller increments over a longer span of time. 

I don’t usually tend to work this way. Usually, I dive into a project and it consumes most of my energy until the heavy lifting is done. In many ways, this piece still did consume me. However, it was spread out over a much longer span of time than I’m used to. Before it started taking shape or making much sense, I spent the majority of my time sketching ideas without worrying how they related to each other. Interestingly, this helped generate a wider range of ideas, which ultimately led to my decision to make it a more episodic piece in three parts.

My serious marimba-playing days are long behind me (not that they were ever there), yet the piece really needed to drive on Giff’s command of whiz-bang 4-mallet dexterity. Hopefully it will accomplish this without shedding too much light on the fear it brought me. Also, it was important to me that the ensemble wasn’t just window dressing for the soloist, but that they also didn’t compete. As it turns out, they both rely pretty heavily on each other. Technicalities aside, my hope is that it paints a fantasy-like adventure into which listeners can be easily drawn, while still being left guessing which way the road is going to turn.

Take a listen and read more about it here.

Stitched - new film score

I recently completed work on the score for an upcoming short film by A-list comic book writer, Garth Ennis called “Stitched.”

The score is an interesting mix of minimal simplicity (as heard in “Blackhawk Idaho Six,” the main theme of our heroes), eerie horror music, and a densely orchestrated militaristic war march (“Martial Horizon/End Credits.”) The film will have its world premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con International with a large number in attendance. 

For more info on this project go here.

New radio spot for Oregon State Marine Board

I’ve just completed a new 60-second radio spot called “Stayin’ Afloat” that will be airing statewide in Oregon for the coming year. It’s another public service announcement. This message is for lifejacket safety by the Oregon State Marine Board.

Written as a parody of...ahem...a popular song from the 70’s, our goal was to make this a fun and catchy reminder to always wear your lifejacket.

Credits:

Agency: Gard Communications
Producers: Mary Ann Aldridge, John Plymale
Lyrics: Daryle Rico
Music: Jim Casella
Vocals performed by: Sean Holmes

For more info on my commercial projects, go here.

New radio spot for ODOT

I’ve just completed a new 60-second radio spot called “The Safety Step” that will be airing statewide in Oregon for the coming year. It’s a public service announcement for the Oregon Department of Transportation, written to be a catchy and fun jingle in the style of the Andrews Sisters.

All these 3-part harmonies make me wish I’d learned to sing when I was hitting on all those drums as a kid. 

Credits:

Agency: Gard Communications
Producers: Mary Ann Aldridge, John Plymale
Lyrics: Daryle Rico
Music composition: Jim Casella
Vocals performed by: Michelle Kosta

For more demos of my commercial projects, go here.

Cyclone - early demo

I’m just putting the finishing touches on my latest percussion ensemble Cyclone. This piece was commissioned by Lewis Norfleet, director of bands at Union High School in Camas, Washington to be premiered at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago this December.

This piece features a quartet of marimbists sharing two facing marimbas. This quartet is accompanied by piano and 7 other percussionists, most of whom are playing some form of mulit-percussion setup. There is still some detailing and refining left to do, but this has been one of my more ambitious pieces and I thought it might be fun to share it while it’s still in the final stages of cooking. 

This audio recording comes straight out of Sibelius, so there are some humanizing and mixing things that aren’t nearly where I’d like them to be yet, but it’s a start. All sounds are generated from Virtual Drumline.

For more information, click here.