USF Student Composers’ Concert December 5, 2012 – 7:30 p.m.

Barness Recital Hall

USF School of Music

Tampa, FL

Program

Toddler Dance .......................................................... Jeff Jackson

Erica Barden, Piccolo; Justin White, Flute 1; Miguel Higar, Flute 2; Julia Ford, Alto Flute;

Michael Frazier, Conductor

Jabberwocky ....................................................... Joey Bourdeau Text by : Jhonen Vasquez, Joseph Heller,

Lewis Carroll, Stanley Kubrick, Arthur Freed, Adam Reed, Trey Parker, George Carlin

and Theodor Geisel. Joey Bourdeau, Timpani, Small Tom-Tom

Definitions ..................................................................... Ryan Muar

Justin White, Flute

Samhain ........................................................................ Paul Lewis

Ekaterina Capatides, piano

Self Prism ............................................................... Vincent Euliano

Michael Frazier, Bass Clarinet; Marissa DiPronio, Piano;Jacob Dike, Percussion

A Title You Can’t Pronounce ......................... Susanna Hancock

Alex Stening, Horn

Indian Serenade ................................................. Clayton Prather

Marissa DiPronio, Piano

Incandescence ........................................................... Ryan Muar

Ekaterina Capatides, piano

Clandestine ......................................................... Marissa DiPronio

Beran Harp, Marimba 1; Jacob Dike, Marimba 2

No. 1 ...................................................................... Nathan Corder

Michael Amos, Cello

Partial Party .......................................................... Nathan Corder

Ashley Frith, Viola

Dos Cuentas de La Naturaleza ........................... Michael Frazier I. la caida de niere en la cumbre II. aurora borealis

Andrew Claypool, Trumpet; James Dawson, trumpet;Adam Norton, Tuba; Eli Ponder-Twardy, Trombone;Oliver Stening,

Horn; Michael Frazier, Conductor

Program Notes

Toddler Dance - Score Toddler Dance is the aural depiction of my daughter's first dance. The pitches were derived by means of a random generation program. They were arranged in a manner that depicted the separate phases of her dance. Jabberwocky - Score Jabberwocky uses quotations from many different sources, including television shows, movies, comic books, and novels. The quotes are all either by, or relating to insane fictional characters, and were arranged throughout the piece by free association. Jabberwocky makes extensive use of the tuning pedals, as well as several other unusual techniques, such as playing with the fingers, or slapping the drums with the entire shaft of the mallet. The piece is often energetic, and chaotic, and draws inspiration from the "nonsense verse" of authors such as Lewis Carroll. Definitions - Score In my piece Definitions I gathered material by rolling dice to derive the pitches. I used these pitches over the course of the semester to develop these pitches into small motives and then began piecing it together. I named this piece Definitions because I felt that I took many little snippets of ideas to piece together something much like a dictionary is many different definitions.

Samhain - Score I wrote Samhain during Halloween and thought the title would be appropriate at the Time. Samhain is by far the darkest and most experimental piano piece I have yet written. It features complex syncopation as well as poly rhythms such as three against four. Though Samhain is the most avant-garde piece I have written, it is my personal favorite. Self Prism - Score Self Prism is a composition that was completed in the spring of 2012. This piece explores extended techniques to create a variety of colors. The work was constructed with motives that are introduced in fragments. As the piece develops the motives transform through timbre and texture. Self Prism is a state of mind that clouds and distorts reality. A Title You Can’t Pronounce – Score A Title You Can't Pronouce is a piece for solo horn written and dedicated to the performer, Alex Stening. The pitch material is derived from the performer's birthday (as the piece was written around that time), and explores the entire range of the horn with various extended techniques. Indian Serenade – Score Composed for solo piano, Indian Serenade is based on a poem of the same name by E. Montale. The piece is structured around the layout of the poem by using the number of words per line, words per stanza, and lines per stanza as structural guide. The music also uses certain key phrases, such as "it's ours, you, and I," which are constantly repeated throughout the poem. These are treated as motives that are interjected in the music proportionately according to the distance of each word in the poem. The music that fills in between the presentation of motives uses text painting to highlight the narration of the poem. As a result, the compositional structure of the piece is set up to be as if the poem is being read to you by music. This piece was composed for, and made possible by, pianist Judith Gordon. Incandescence – Score My piece Incandescence was written by piecing together fifteen different miniatures that I have written over the course of the semester. Some of these pieces used strict pitch sets and some were more free form. I chose the best miniatures to be formed into this piece. I named this piece Incandescence because I was thinking about how metal builds up to a temperature where the heat becomes visible which is what I was trying to portray in this piece. Clandestine – Score Clandestine was written during the fall semester of 2012. My original concept was a marimba duet; however I wanted to explore the many options that a marimba duet could be. Eventually, I added the other percussion instruments to the ensemble for the purpose of color and

included an extensive section for bowed marimba. The rhythmic structure of the piece centers around a 10/8 meter, and many of the melodic themes return in the second half of the piece. No. 1 – Score No.1 is a piece that exemplifies very difficult techniques for the cello. Those techniques interest me. Partial Party – Score Partial Party is a piece that one could say is pulled right out of the viola itself. All of the melodic material is derived from the harmonic series of each string on the viola. Partial Party aims to let listeners focus upon the elements of sound that often go unheard. Dos Cuentas de La Naturaleza – Score Dos Cuentas de La Naturaleza (English: Two Accounts from Nature) is a work for brass quintet that uses two naturally occurring events in nature as a backdrop of sorts; the gentle snowfall on a summit, and the flowing wonder that is the aurora borealis.

Biographies

Joey Bourdeau Joey Bourdeau is a music education major, composer, and percussionist studying at the University of South Florida. Aside from composing and performing, he enjoys drawing and eating.

Nathan Corder

Nathan Corder is a Junior Composition Major in the School of Music at USF and classical guitarist. Nathan has had his music, both electronic, and acoustic, performed nationwide . His musical interests as of late are algorithmic composition, spectralism, and computer music.

Vincent Euliano

Vincent Euliano studies music composition at the University of South Florida. He resides in Tampa, Florida and concentrates on both acoustic and electronic music composition. He is interested in exploring existing and discovering new types of compositional process.

Michael Frazier Michael Frazier is currently a 3rd-year composition student at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Frazier's interests in Minimalism and Improvisation have been apparent in many of his compositions, and he continues to study these under Baljinder Sekhon and Paul Reller. Frazier plans on teaching composition in the future.

Susanna Hancock

Susanna Hancock is an aspiring bassoonist and composer currently residing in Tampa, Florida. She has composed numerous works for virtually every medium, including classical ensembles, electronic media, and pop music. She currently studies under Paul Reller and Baljinder Sekhon at the University of South Florida.

Jeff Jackson

Jeff Jackson is a composer in Tampa, Florida. Jeff found a passion for composition in the final year of his cello performance degree at Southeast Missouri State University. When not composing music as a sophomore composition major at The University of South Florida, Jeff is a stay at home dad who participates in art and music festivals around Florida both as an electronic composer and administrator.

Paul Lewis

I am currently a student at the University of South Florida. I am currently double majoring in Composition and Italian and the instrument that I am studying is both Double Bass and Percussion. I currently live in Dade City and I commute to Tampa for School and work. I work part time at Busch Gardens as a stage technician and usually work late night shifts. My goal is to become a great composer in many different areas including opera and film.

Ryan Muar

Music has always been something very important to me. As a child I played the piano, then settled on guitar where I continued studying classically. I now am happy to be studying composition at the University of South Florida, which is my hometown university. My musical interests include experimenting with new forms of writing music and finding new and unique sounds through acoustic and electric composition.

Clayton Prather

Clayton Prather is a composer whose works range from large ensemble to electroacoustic to solo pieces. Performances of his works have become increasingly frequent during the last two years. As a percussionist, Prather has extensive experience performing standard and new works. His primary composition teachers are Paul Reller and Baljinder Sekhon.

Marissa Di Pronio Marissa DiPronio is currently residing in Tampa, Florida, where she is studying composition at the University of South Florida under the instruction of Baljinder Sekhon and Paul Reller. She will graduate in May of 2013 and plans to study composition at the graduate level starting in the fall of 2013. During her time at USF, she has written works for a variety of instrumentations, from large ensembles to small chamber groups and solo instruments. She has also been the recipient of several awards and

recognitions, including the University of South Florida's 2012 Composition Merit Award and a Vox Novus Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame award. Her piece Blanco for solo harp will be premiered in New York City by harpist Jasmin Cowin on January 13, 2013.

Join The Conversation

Follow us on your favorite social media platform Visit www.arts.usf.edu/socialmusic

Like The USF Composition Department’s Facebook Page Visit the USF Composition Department's YouTube Channel!

 

USF is an EO/EA institution