Quidnet Shadows (2009) for flugelhorn and harp is dedicated to Chris Gekker. The title refers to Quidnet, a region of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. This work is one of a variety of pieces deeply connected to the landscape of Nantucket. Specifically, it is music inspired by beach shadows cast in evening light. A ritornello opens the piece and returns twice. In between these ritornelli are two mobiles, in which the music of the ritornello is developed in a freely, shadowing discourse between the two instruments.

This recording is available on the CD "Rising at Dawn: Chamber Music with Brass By Carson Cooman":

http://www.carsoncooman.com/recordings.html#RISING

Chris Gekker, flugelhorn and Rebecca Smith, harp

Quidnet Shadows (2009) for flugelhorn and harp

(2013)
"Power Walking Music" is a percussion ensemble piece for 8 - 11 players.

Performed by the Reinhardt University Percussion Ensemble in October 2013!

Power Walking Music (for Percussion Ensemble)

(2013/arr. 2014)
This is a short solo for vibraphone with drone accompaniment.
Also the 2nd movement in a 4-movement vibraphone duet,
"Reflection Canon".

To order the score, email
livingcreaturespress at gmail.com

The Smallest Become The Tallest (for Vibraphone + Drone)

A little sample of one of the awesome commissioned pieces for an upcoming toy piano concert July 31st at Eyedrum in Atlanta! Other composers featured will include Aaron Jay Myers, Aaron Michael Butler, Adam Scott Neal, Caleb Herron, Carolyn Chen, and Olivia Kieffer! 

Olivia Kieffer: Nobility Of Homophones

Through My Child Eyes (Mockup)

(2012/2013)
*Instrumental* version available for the first time online!

from Clibber Jones Ensemble's E.P. "I Am the Avalanche"

" I Am the Avalanche" is a prog rock fantasy in 5 continuous movements. It was composed for the Clibber Jones Ensemble by Olivia Kieffer.

I. I Am the Avalanche
II. I Am the Destroyer
III. I Will Collapse into the Sea
IV. The Sun Upon the Earth
V. I Am the Water Falling

Teresa Feliciano - flute, piccolo
Tim Crump - tenor and soprano saxophone
Amy O'Dell - keyboard and keytar
Darren Nelsen - electric guitar
Bill Pritchard - electric bass
Brandon Dodge - vibraphone, percussion
Olivia Kieffer - drums, percussion

Recorded at MOTH Music in Lawrenceville, GA
Producer Olivia Kieffer
Recording, Mixing, Mastering by Tim Hinds and Olivia Kieffer

E.P. released through Blood Drunk Records, August 2014.
Version with vocals available here: https://blooddrunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-the-avalanche

I Am the Avalanche

I Am the Avalanche (E.P.)

I Am The Avalanche (for chamber rock band)

(2015, arr. 2017)
Sergio Hernandez, guitar
3/30/19, Olivia Kieffer Capstone Recital
Helene Zelazo Center, Milwaukee WI

The Texture of Activity is a book of 55 short solos for one or two toy pianos. Each solo is dedicated to a friend. The project began as a challenge, in 2015: to compose a set of one-minute solos, with only one hour to write and record each one. I then transcribed each solo by ear, and made them into a book. 
My dear friend and guitarist Nicolas Deuson discovered the pieces and began performing several of them on classical guitar: “Be Real Easy!” (for Isaac Anderson), “These are Fine Italian Shoes” (for Allen Otte), “The Brave” (for Karl Henning), “Nasal Spray Cereal Bars” (for Adam Kieffer), and “JJ’s Lullaby” (for Lori Cabrera). Since the guitarist is playing directly from the toy piano music rather than a guitar transcription, there is much room for a unique and personal performance each time.

Texture Of Activity Suite (for solo classical guitar)

(2017, arr. 2019)
"Mod 14" is a piano solo that I arranged from my toy piano book "Playing the Changes". It is dedicated to my former composition teacher at UW-Milwaukee, Jon Welstead.

Performance by Olivia Kieffer
on November 12, 2019
SCI Open Call concert
at the Chapel of the Bede, University of Miami

order the sheet music here:
https://oliviakieffer.com/piano/

Thanks to Ryne Siesky for the recording!

Mod 14 (for solo piano)

(2019)
Monday March 9, 2020
Nicki Roman, alto sax!
world premiere performance!
at the 2020 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference 
Arizona State University

Floating Bones
I. speak through
II. hyoid
III. return to the water

Text (written and spoken by Olivia Kieffer)
The dragon
The deep
The darkness in your sleep.
Thinking they cannot speak,
You are awake,
Articulate!

The Garden of Eden
Above and below,
The whales spoke first
and they said no.
We're so easy to tempt
And so quick to blame.
The whales are better than us;
They didn't need a Jesus.

ABOUT THE MUSIC:
Floating Bones is an unaccompanied alto saxophone solo in three continuous movements, written for and dedicated to Nicki Roman and a commissioning consortium of adventurous saxophonists. 
Floating bones are not connected to other bones but instead are connected to muscles and ligaments. While present in greater numbers in some other animals, the only true floating bone in the human body is the hyoid, which sits inside the larynx at the base of the tongue muscle. The unique placement of the human larynx combined with the shape of the hyoid bone are what allow us to speak articulately. I became fascinated with this floating bone, and how it relates to our ability to play (essentially "speak through") musical instruments that we breathe into. 
Inspired by the above, I was halfway through writing the second of three movements of this piece, and I read that whales too have a hyoid that plays a large role in their sound production. That night I had a vivid dream, which was so striking that I decided to scrap one of the movements and start two new ones.  
The dream was set far in the future, when science and religion joined forces to find a way for humans to evolve into whales. The newest research about cetacean intelligence included communicating directly with whales, so myself and others were sent in underwater submersibles to play music on saxophone-like woodwind instruments. What scientists discovered after analyzing these underwater conversations was that the story of Creation in the book of Genesis was accurate, except the order of events slowly unfolded over billions of years instead of 6 days. In this history, the whales appeared a couple of "days" before the humans, and God gave them a Garden of Eden in the ocean, complete with a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. During those days the whales were not tempted, and never ate from the tree, and so remained innocent. When humans arrived, God gave them a Garden of Eden as well, but they were tempted and ate from the Tree, thus separating themselves from God - and thereby the natural world - through the introduction of evil. Since we had essentially destroyed most of creation, the whales felt it was time for us to return to the ocean in bodies like theirs so we could do no more damage. And so we left our instruments behind on the shore, and our legs became floating bones as we returned to the water. 
-Olivia Kieffer

Thank you to Hannah Bonikowske for the photo and live recording!

Floating Bones (for solo alto saxophone)

(2020)
"Miami 33176" for 30-key toy piano duet

recorded by Olivia Kieffer and Logan Rutledge 
on May 21, 2020

Logan and I decided to write toy piano duets for each other, in commemoration of our fun year living together in Miami FL 33176.

Miami 33176 (for toy piano duet)

(2018, arr. 2020)
Recorded by Noise Ordinance!,
during the pandemic, from our respective living rooms.
The group formed at Frost School of Music at University of Miami in January 2020. 

Olivia Kieffer - drums
Logan Rutledge - keyboard
Greg Watson - euphonium
Brendon Wilkins - alto saxophone

Quidnet Shadows (2009) for flugelhorn and harp

Carson Cooman

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