Live Performances

Roman Songs, movements I and II

Performed at the Riverwest Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee, WI on 8/17/2013 by Caylee Wells (flute) and Liz Ramirez (clarinet)

Roman Songs (Opening/Peasant's Dance)

Roman Songs, movements III and IV

Performed at the Riverwest Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee, WI on 8/17/2013 by Caylee Wells (flute) and Liz Ramirez (clarinet)

Roman Songs (Summoning/The Arrival of Venus)

Written for the East Side Chamber Players' Opus 110 project - I, along with two other local Milwaukee composers (Joel Boyd and David Thompson), set text written by students at the Milwaukee Math and Science Academy to music for small chamber ensemble.

I wrote two pieces, one for soprano and soprano instruments, one for baritone and "baritone" instruments (some are arguably used as sopranos in the piece).  

This work is inspired by a MMSA second grader's short poem.  When I read the lines, "My friend Rosea slipped on ice, then a scent appeared and smelled like roses," I thought it was pretty striking - both blunt and poetic at the same time.  In the piece, I use different sections as story telling devices.  The opening is very somber and serene while the vocalist is telling the story.  The middle section focuses on the instruments playing, essentially, the imagination of the event.  The scent doesn't actually "appear" in the music or the words until the very end, with an animated take on the earlier harmonic sequences played by the flute, clarinet, and violin, ending with murmurs in the vocalist as the beauty overpowers her concern.  

This piece was debuted on November 2nd, 2013 by members of the ESCP: Sarah Richardson (soprano), Tatiana Pearson (flute), Amanda Brittain (clarinet), and Becky Schulz (violin).

Recorded by members of the ESCP:
Sarah Richardson, soprano
Becky Schulz, violin
Caylee Wells, flute
Liz Ramirez, clarinet
Produced/engineered by Cory A. Baker

...then a scent appeared and smelled like roses

Written for the East Side Chamber Players' Opus 110 project - I, along with two other local Milwaukee composers (Joel Boyd and David Thompson), set text written by students at the Milwaukee Math and Science Academy to music for small chamber ensemble.

I wrote two pieces, one for soprano and soprano instruments, one for baritone and "baritone" instruments (some are arguably used as sopranos in the piece).

This work is written for baritone, clarinet, horn, trombone, and cello.  Most of the small poems written by the students had an animal theme, so I used each individual poem in the music, transitioning using a repeated motif throughout all the instruments.  It's meant to be like a musical storybook, the music changing with each turning of the page to fit the picture that the narrator (the baritone) is describing.  

Recorded by members of the ESCP:
Paul Thompson, baritone
Stacy Check, clarinet
Michael Ferraro, cello
Joseph Riggenbach, trombone
Andrew Swinney, horn
Produced/engineered by Cory A. Baker

Zoology, as told by kids

Last year, I was chosen with 15 other composers around the world to write a collaborative piece titled "Ode to Hanover" for Plathner's Eleven's anniversary concert.  The full work - which is astounding both in content and in sheer volume (clocking in at 25-odd minutes)- can be listened to/seen here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_gMD5ZsJbk

This selection is my short one minute contribution for clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, piano, and bayan.  It's a unique combo of instruments that allowed me to play melodically with this short bit, as well as make some sweeping musical gestures towards the end.  


Die Wunderschöne Eilenriede - "Green Lung"

The Illinois premier of my award-winning work "Introduction and Tarantella" for woodwind quintet.

Flute, James Brinkmann
Oboe, Jonathan Thompson
Clarinet, Brady Richards
Horn, Melanie Erena
Bassoon, Nick Ritter

Live recording at Lutkin Hall at Northwestern University, December 6, 2014

Introduction And Tarantella

World premier of my opus 1, Symphonic Dance for flute and piano at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas
Adrienne Inglis, flute
Kiyoshi Tamagawa, piano

Symphonic Dance for flute and piano, Op. 1

Hi! I'm a 35-year-old writer living in Chicago who dabbles in classical music. I've been writing music since I was 18, amassing a good amount of chamber works and a few orchestral pieces, too, though I now primarily focus on arranging pieces for woodwinds. I'm particularly fond of video game music and have spent much of my free time creating suites for classic 90s JRPGs. I've been fortunate to have my music performed worldwide, and I'm always looking to connect and collaborate with other musicians to help bring a new life into neo-classical music.

Live Performances

CJ Darnieder