"There's always a little truth in legend." - Ahsoka Tano

This is from the premiere of my second orchestral work, Dra'Kur. It was performed Saturday, April 2 2016 in Crawford Hall by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Orchestra under Maestro Lees.

Program notes:
Dra’Kur is the first in a set of pieces I plan to write relating to dragons. These works seek to evoke the mystery, fear, awe, and power of these beasts. This piece in particular is inspired by the sparse details available about the idea of a “first” dragon. Few stories survive of “Kur” from Sumerian mythology, but what is known is that it was a serpentine, evil creature that was deeply connected to the earth and the Zagros Mountains. The stories also tell that the slaying of this beast caused a massive flooding of the world and that it was banished to the netherworld. Dra’Kur conjures a scene of this dragon coming into being, waking up in a sense, from the void that was before it. The piece unfolds as the dragon embraces its terrifying self until it is ultimately confronted and destroyed, plunging back into nothingness.

Dra'Kur, The First Dragon

Universal Fanfare Mockup

Score for the 2018 3rd Year UNCSA Film COTTONTAIL. A loving but terminally ill great-aunt comes to live with Peter. A kind gesture turns foul as she makes a fatal mistake, and Peter must learn to cope. Along the way he discovers truths about growing up and that death is a natural part of life.

Cottontail - Anything From The Garden

Cottontail - Main Theme

Hello world! While moving from one house to the next over the summer of 2018 my roommate David Maize and I found ourselves without internet for about a month. We started messing around with our guitars and equipment one night and this thing was born. It's just a short piece exploring our friendship, with his slightly inebriated guitar-picking accompanying a lush orchestral soundscape. 

The name Alakath comes from my online pseudonym "Alaka" mixed with David's "Sukath."

Pictured left to right is Daniel Eng, David Maize, and myself.

Alakath

Action Adventure cue for a class inspired by classic video game music.

Into Tomorrow (Action // Adventure // Game)

Hello! This is a track inspired by one of my favorite genres of electronic music: chiptunes. The sounds used come from emulation of the sound cards of the mid-80's to give a retro, arcade-y vibe. Because of the limitations of the time, these sounds were created only using basic audio wave forms such as square and triangle waves. They were then mixed together and paired with others to create more familiar effects, like kick drums and "string" lines.

Let's Go!

This a Drama Main Title that I wrote for a class! this will soon be integrated into my website, just throwing this up here for the moment.

Impossible Memory (Drama)

This is Exos, an expression of me just letting things out. The pandemic has had the whole world posted up in our rooms trying to figure out what comes next, and working through this short piece gave me some light in a really confusing time. Even now as I listen through, the images of the barren streets of LA from the spring and summer of 2020 stick out in my mind. I hope you enjoy, and I'm looking forward to what is next. Here's hoping it's a brighter, more hopeful time.

Exos

Alexander Umfleet is rising second year graduate student studying film music composition at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His credits include composing the score for UNCSA's 2017 animated film SUPERNOVA, as well as 2018's COMPULSION and COTTONTAIL. He studies under Dr. Chris Heckman. Outside of film he is active in the concert composition world, having composed chamber and large ensemble pieces. His works have been performed by the Winston-Salem Symphony, the UNCSA Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and the Atlantic Music Festival as well as recorded by eighth blackbird.

Alex Umfleet, Composer

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