Christie Finn and Felix Behringer perform "Tandem" for soprano and Bass Clarinet.

Tandem

In the middle of April 2021, I got a phone call from the contact tracing team that I might have been exposed to COVID-19, and that I had to isolate myself for 10 days. The self-isolation started out feeling like a vacation. I caught up on TV shows that I’ve been wanting to watch, listened to podcasts, and ordered some food without feeling bad about it. I was having a great time, until when I woke up the second day and realized that I had 9 more days to do the exact same thing.

The piece captures various emotions I experienced during the isolation. The solitude was introspective and meditative, but also made me feel stir crazy at times. I have a feeling you know exactly what I’m talking about – we all became masters of solitude, whether voluntarily or not, in this last year. I’d like you to reflect on the feelings and the thoughts you had when you were in your room by yourself, while we listen to this piece of music together.

on solitude was commissioned and premiered by flutist Meera Gudipati in July 2021.

on solitude

by Miles Walter (2022)
Aspen Chamber Symphony (majority student orchestra; some faculty alongside), Nicholas McGegan, conductor
World premiere, rec. live July 8, 2022
Commissioned by Aspen Music Festival and School, Robert Spano, Music Director

This is the first movement of a work in progress, a two-movement symphony.

[NB Other than the closing movement, I very well might never write anything that sounds like this ever again... but it was a joy to write, and I somehow feel that the way the architecture unites in the latter half of the movement justifies the borrowings and anachronisms of the whole... but I do feel a bit self-conscious about this one, it's an odd pet project!]

[Walter] Symphony (2022), I. Broad, in flexible tempo

In 4 movements (Slow, Fast, Standstill and Motion) I'm exploring different colours and characteristics in the combination of violin and accordion.

Live performed by Kaat Vanhaverbeke and Marjolein Spruit on March 17, 2023 in The Hague (NL)
Recorded and mastered by Reina Dreyhaupt

Sonata for violin and accordion (2022)

Performed by Greg Spiridopoulos and the Albany Symphony Orchestra

Simon Says - concerto for trombone & orchestra (excerpt)

The world of classical music is a lot like a video game: when first learning music, a person starts at level one. As music becomes more challenging, the musician levels up; competition and audition victories can be equated to conquering a final boss. In pairing violin virtuosity with video game violence, this work examines artistic ambition, the demands of performance, the pain of failure and the fleeting pleasure of achievement.

Aaron Israel Levin: Videogame Vespers

Tree Giant (2016) for flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano

Performed July 23, 2016
Colby College | Waterville, ME
Atlantic Music Festival

Rachel Beetz - flute/piccolo
Ford Fourqurean - clarinet/bass clarinet
Hannah Ji - violin
Jennifer Bewerse - cello
Chris Herman - percussion
Sung-Soo Cho - piano

Tree Giant

Tree Giant - for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano

NB: this recording is a "sonic trace;" the piece is actually primarily visual in nature, and so the vast majority of the impact of the piece is lost by listening to the sound alone. Unfortunately, no video exists (yet).

recorded by members of Ensemble Intercontemporain as part of ManiFeste 2017
Recording Engineer: Jérémie Henrot

eve (2017)

this track is made exclusively of processed piano sounds and a xaiphoon.

Nevada Diamond

nevada diamond

Recorded by Austin Wulliman
Version for 4 violins

"dx/dt" recontextualizes music notation as a position versus time graph. Utilizing a unique Pythagorean tuning system where 4 instruments cover a full 12 note series of perfect 5ths, this piece can be performed on 4 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, or 4 double basses. Only open strings and natural harmonics are used throughout the piece, through which delicate and pure sounds immerse the listener.

dx/dt, version for 4 violins

written for and performed by Phoebe Bognár.

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Hi there! I'm a composer/musician/whatnot, currently New York adjacent, studying at the Yale School of Music. Contact: aaron.i.levin@gmail.com

Tree Giant - for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano

Aaron Israel Levin

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