This recording is a live premiere of Allison Simpkins' orchestral work "revel," written as part of the celebration of 150 years of composition at the Peabody Institute. The concert was held October 20th, 2021, and performed by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, masterfully conducted by Reuben Stern. 

The program notes are as follows:

"revel" is an entirely self-indulgent piece for me, though it is also the product of a significant amount of growth. A year ago, during the worst of the pandemic in 2020, mental illness took over my life and prevented me from making the most of my musical education. I failed to meet my own expectations of what a composer "should" be, and turned down opportunities to compose simply because I felt I did not have what it took to "make it." After a lot of work on my mental health and the help of my fiancé, teacher, and friends, I was able to pull myself away from those feelings of despair. I started writing music again, this time with the mindset that it didn't have to be perfect, nor did I have to care as much about what others think. Therefore, the concept of "revel" was born; it is purely a piece that I wanted to write without regard to my fears of how others would perceive it. I allowed myself to indulge in the sounds I could create with the orchestra, particularly in the strings and woodwinds. "revel" is an acceptance of myself as a composer and a love letter to all the orchestral pieces that inspired it.

revel for orchestra

revel for orchestra - Allison Simpkins

Hi folks! Here's something a little different - a Hozier arrangement, requested and commissioned by a wonderful YouTube subscriber. Work Song was surprisingly challenging to arrange; simplicity in songs often means I have to work extra hard to make each new verse or chorus sound unique but all interconnected. 
This track also loops, so give it a try by clicking the repeat button! The version I will post on YouTube does not loop.

Work Song - Piano Cover

Work Song - Hozier Solo Piano

The third movement of my piece "Three Short Pieces for String Quartet." This recording was done live at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic, where I was awarded the Duino Prize in Composition for this piece. 

Violin 1: Dragana Gajic
Violin 2: Carina Yee
Viola: Geena Salway
Cello: Devin Cornacchio

Copyright Allison Simpkins 2019.

III. Presto Pizzicato - Three Short Pieces for String Quartet (Allison Simpkins)

"Believe Me, Folks: Ten Songs for a Mad President" is a piece highlighting the hypocrisy and lies surrounding the presidency of Donald Trump.

I. Introduction
"Are you allowed to impeach a president for gross incompetence?"
II. Vaudeville
"Don't take vacations.  What's the point?  If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job." 
"Great morning at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida with @JackNicklaus and @TigerWoods!"
III. Credibility
"An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."
"Whenever you see the words 'sources say' in the fake news media, and they don't mention names....it is very possible that those sources don't exist but are made up by fake news writers. # FakeNews is the enemy!" 
IV. Insecurity
"Obama is, without question, the WORST EVER president. I predict he will now do something really bad and totally stupid to show manhood!"
"Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!"
V. Hypocrisy
"Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs."
"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow
....Transgender individuals to  serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming
....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you"
VI. Insincerity
"Don King, and so many other African Americans who know me well and endorsed me, would not have done so if they thought I was a racist!"
"The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!"
VII. Denial
"Crooked Hillary said that I  want guns brought into the school classroom. Wrong!"
"I never said “give teachers guns” like was stated on Fake News @CNN & @NBC. What I said was to look at the possibility of giving “concealed guns to gun adept teachers with military or special training experience - only the best."
VIII. Irony
"Sexual pervert Anthony Weiner has zero business holding public office...you think he will change? He will never change.”
"A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. Never happened!"
IX. Insanity
"The global warming we should be worried about is the global warming caused by NUCLEAR WEAPONS in the hands of crazy or incompetent leaders!"
"The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes"
X. Conclusions
"We need a PRESIDENT with strength, stamina, heart and incredible deal making skill if our country is ever going to be able to prosper again!"
"We need a president that can get America back on track and get things done!"
"We need a President who understands the economy"
"We need a president who knows how to get things done, who can keep America strong, safe, and free, and who can negotiate deals that benefit America, not the countries on the other side of the table."
"We need a President who isn't a laughing stock to the entire World. We need a truly great leader, a genius at strategy and winning. Respect!"

Baritone: Joram Alford
Flute: Annabelle Kim
Clarinet: Ben Quarles
Percussion: Hannah Hughes
Piano/Celesta: Alex Shawver
Violin: Joseph Bates
Cello: Maddie Mullen

Emerging Sounds Fall 2019

Believe Me, Folks: Ten Songs for a Mad President - Pierrot Version (Allison Simpkins)

Written for the Opera Etudes class at the Peabody Institute of Music, this etude sets text from Avatar: the Last Airbender. In this particular scene, one of the lead antagonists, the psychologically tormented Azula, sees a vision of her mother the night before her premature coronation. 

Composer: Allison Simpkins
Voice: Erica d'Ancona
Clarinet: Sophia Bracken
Violin: Nicolle Avila
Harp: Anju Felix
Bassoon/Contrabassoon: Lara Villanueva

This piece was written and performed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. All parts were recorded asynchronously.

Monster - Azula's Mad Scene

"the graduation we deserved" is the first of three movements that use the same text describing the various emotions brought on by the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. This movement focuses on the nostalgia and longing for a graduation that never happened for millions of young adults. In the text, three good friends share a bittersweet goodbye at a normal graduation ceremony - the kind of goodbye that I and many others wish we could have had. 

This entire work was recorded asynchronously.

Composer: Allison Simpkins
Soprano 1: Rebecca Yakos
Soprano 2: Sierra Leslie
Mezzo-soprano: Caroline Lacy
Tenor Saxophone: Nikolai Klotchkov
French Horn: Ashton Sady
Violin: Emilia Yoon
Cello: Steven Chen
Bass: Patrick Raynard

I. the graduation we deserved - Allison Simpkins

"the uncertainty of march" is the second of three movements that use the same text describing the various emotions brought on by the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this movement, two partners say goodbye to each other, not sure when they'll see each other again. The text and the music focuses on the feelings of anxiety from March 2020, when no one knew how long the world would take to recover from the pandemic. I drew from my own personal experiences in saying goodbye to my long-distance partner after we spent a month in quarantine when he caught the coronavirus.

This entire work was recorded asynchronously.

Composer: Allison Simpkins
Soprano 1: Rebecca Yakos
Soprano 2: Sierra Leslie
Violin: Emilia Yoon
Viola: Ethan Buell
Cello: Steven Chen
Bass: Patrick Raynard

II. the uncertainty of march

"the new normal" is the third of three movements that use the same text describing the various emotions brought on by the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this movement, the singer takes a moment to pull themself together before joining yet another online class for the day. This is perhaps the most personal of the three, as it is a reflection of actual conversations I had with myself while struggling to keep up with online school, work, and composing.

This entire work was recorded asynchronously.

Composer: Allison Simpkins
Mezzo-soprano: Caroline Lacy
Viola: Ethan Buell
Harp: Sarah Pearson

III. the new normal

she/her
M.M. Peabody Institute
Conservatorium van Amsterdam
B.M. Composition SMU ‘20

Contact me at allegroallison@gmail.com if you're interested in a commission or collaboration.

Allegro Allie

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