"Fragile Goods" (2019) is a piece about the fragility and volatility of both nature and humankind. The work incorporates literal fragile objects—glass and ceramic—whose strength is tested physically and musically, while metaphorically exploring the strength of human beings. How are we tested, and how do we respond? Are we strong, or do we break? How can we be both fragile and resilient, and what beauty comes of this?

INSTRUMENTATION
4 glass bottles
6 ceramic tiles
Hi-hat
Kick drum
Suspended cymbal
Splash cymbal

Fragile Goods

I recorded to a four track cassette recorder which is why it sounds funny and why the takes are out of time lol (no metronome)

What The Hell

we lose sight of the forest amongst the trees we have felled
[this piece is meant to recreate that distinct sensation]

"every swing of the axe" is a representation of the horrors we commit to our planet with a focus on deforestation. The chorus acts as an ecology of sounds within the forest, sometimes in symbiotic relationships and at other times in competition within their niche.

every swing of the axe (2022)- for chorus in 6 parts

Alright Okay Very Cool

Prime Of Your Life

Composed for and performed by Ensemble PinkNoise. Bass Flute (Piccolo), Bass Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano. 

Performed at Ann E. Pitzer Center, UC Davis, 13th April 2023.

bread and butter, bones and nutters, on the river styx

Brittle Star - Unheard-of Ensemble

Materia Prima was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and was premiered on March 16, 2023 by Daniela Candillari and the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Materia Prima draws inspiration from the mythological motif of the cosmic ocean. This motif, which can be found in the creation stories of a strikingly wide variety of cultures and religions, describes a cosmic ocean of primordial, often chaotic waters from which the universe was created. The title, Materia Prima (Latin for prime, or original matter) refers to the substance viewed as the material cause of the universe.

There are two musical elements that form my piece, sustained sounds and brief impulses. The impulses act as drops of water in a still, vast sea, creating waves of activity that disrupt the stability of the sustained material. The harmonic structure of the piece is built upon a similar opposition, one between the harmonic series of a low B-flat and the open strings of the string instruments, particularly the open A – the note from which the entire piece emerges. The piece unfolds through gradual processes of transformation as it attempts to reconcile these opposing materials. At its core, Materia Prima strives to find serene spaces in a turbulent and chaotic world.

Materia Prima (2023) for orchestra

Performed by Wendy Richman at the Ann E. Pitzer Center
Composed by Zoë A. Wallace

Sun Flower/Light

verglas is the coating of ice that can form on surfaces as a result of freezing rain. 

exploring frozen textures gradually melting and reforming

performed by Empyrean ensemble at UC Davis Pitzer hall

April 21st 2024

verglas

Solstice By Emily Joy Sullivan

composer

phd candidate at UC Davis

More music below

verglas

Colin Minigan

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