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Chivalry dates back to the medieval institution of knighthood.  While its meaning has changed over time, Of Chivalry and Valor celebrates some of the central tenets deeply rooted in the original chivalric code.

The militaristic beginning of the composition depicts a courageous battle during war time, where knights would demonstrate their loyalty, bravery, and valor.  Following the battle, the music portrays the softer values of generosity and selflessness.  The inspiration for this middle section, full of honor and gallantry, was my dear friend Melany Felsen.  The main thematic material for this middle section pulls heavily from one of her favorite themes as a clarinetist, found in the second movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.  For the finale, we return to the battlefield to witness the heroic triumph for the chivalrous warriors.

Of Chivalry and Valor was commissioned and premiered by Anthony Rivera (Eastern Technical High School, Baltimore County Public Schools) in 2013.

Of Chivalry and Valor || Wind Ensemble/Band

A short Orchestral piece featuring the sacrifice of a unknown hero which saved the world from its terrible fate.

Music Composed and Orchestrated by: Carlos G. Herrera

Conducted by: Carlos G. Herrera

Recording Engineer: Jake Jackson

Assistant Engineer: Fiona Cruickshank

Sound Mix & Master: Pablo G. Schuller  and Carlos G. Herrera

Recorded at Air Lyndhurst Studios with a 55-piece orchestra

Thanks to everyone that made this possible. 

The death of the Hero-Orchestral/Romantic

This was a cue written for the portuguese short-film "Lei da Gravidade" (Law of Gravity). I'm extremely proud of having been part of this project. I love the film and everybody who worked on it (Director, Producer and Actors) are extremely talented people that have inspired me to write this and other wonderful cues. It's a privilege and an honour to work with people like this!
I'm also very proud of this piece, not only for the music itself (and what it expresses), but also for its recording. It was recorded at the one and only AIR Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London, UK, by an orchestra of dream musicians, that made this sound even better than I could've ever imagined! Thank you so much to all of them!!!
The session was engineered by the Jake Jackson and later mixed by Pablo Schuller.
The orchestra contractor was Hilary Skewes.
A special thank you to Lucio Godoy, Alfons Conde and Vanessa Garde for making this happen.

Lei da Gravidade - A Culpa é do Filme

Fly with Me - Yip Sau Man

A cue recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios in London on May 20, 2014.

The Forgotten Chase (recorded at AIR Studios London)

2014

This is a cue written for my Master's thesis for the Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games program at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. This adventure cue is meant to accompany a montage of excerpts of flying scenes from the works of Hayao Miyazaki.

This cue, scored for full orchestra, was recorded on May 21, 2014, in Lyndhurst Hall at AIR Studios in London, UK.

Conductor: David Federman
Producers: Lucio Godoy, Alfons Conde, Vanessa Garde
Session Engineer: Jake Jackson
Assistant Engineer: Fiona Cruickshank
Mix and Mastering Engineer: Pablo Schuller
Orchestra Contractor: Hilary Skewes

Full Personnel: See the full list of personnel here: http://federmusik.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/flight-recording-personnel.pdf

Watch the video of the recording session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIiDdGR8I1Q

Please contact me privately to see the finished video project.

Flight

The Rift is an original composition for the fantasy adventure game, Epoch Legends. It was recorded at Air Lyndhurst Studios in London as a final project for the Masters in Scoring for Film, TV, and Video Games at the Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus.

Epoch Legends - The Rift

Beautiful, sweeping piece inspired by the City of Arts and Sciences located in Valencia, Spain.

Performers are: 

Trbn 1: Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal Trombone, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Trbn 2: Mark Hetzler, Professor of Trombone, University of Wisconsin-Madison (former Empire Brass and former Principal Trombone of Hartford Symphony)
Trbn 3: Dylan Chmura-Moore, Assistant Professor of Trombone, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Bass: Alan Carr, Professor of Low Brass, Concordia University Wisconsin 

City Of Arts And Sciences - David Faleris

A love that can never be... || Harp Quintet

Trbn 1: Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal Trombone, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Trbn 2: Mark Hetzler, Professor of Trombone, University of Wisconsin-Madison (former Empire Brass and former Principal Trombone of Hartford Symphony)
Trbn 3: Dylan Chmura-Moore, Assistant Professor of Trombone, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Bass: Alan Carr, Professor of Low Brass, Concordia University Wisconsin

City of Arts and Sciences || Trombone Quartet

ACCBDA 2017

A Martyred Village || Brass Quintet

Commissioned by Jeremy Wilson, available on his album "Perspectives"

A LIMINAL SPACE:  neither here nor there, after "what was" but before passing that threshold of "what's next".  A Liminal Space can be a time and place of paralyzing unknowns, and there is no way to easily navigate such indeterminate change.  What lies past the threshold is not simply a concealed or obscured future for one's self, but rather a new version of one's self about to be defined.  Although this state of unpredictable transformation can be threateningly mysterious, there is a beauty and power to the endless possibilities of "what will be".

A Liminal Space || Trombone Solo & Piano

This work was written in memory of a former roommate and dear friend, Ben Petty, who passed away just under three weeks before his 21st birthday.  His close friend, Michael Kelly, read a poem of his at the funeral.  As I listened to Mike read, I could not help but feel the most heartbroken I had ever felt in my own short twenty years of living.  This was due not so much to my own sense of loss, as much as to the pain that was evident in Mike’s voice.

EVEN IN THE END, by Benjamin Petty
“We wander slowly through the trees,
Each embrace brings stifled pleas,
My fingers linger on your wrist,
My thoughts are captured, bound in twist,
I miss you though you’re at my side,
I want to know that you’re my guide.
It stands to reason you’ll move on,
We’ll part so soon, and you’ll be gone,
For me the ferry stays the course,
I know my heart will miss you worse,
It’s coming down, this sorrowed day,
I need this in an ache-filled way:
Just promise me at the end of time,
We’ll say good-night, but not good-bye,”

I began working on this piece one year after Ben’s death and it was premiered in April 2004 by members of the Boston College Bands Program.  It was written not only as a tribute to Ben, but also to Mike, whose reading provided some closure to me.  While death is painful and is a part of life, "We’ll Say Goodnight, but not Goodbye" tries to focus on another truth: When someone is taken from us, they never really leave us.

Further notes about the music itself: The main ascending three-note motive is based off of composer Eric Whitacre's setting to the E.E. Cummings poem, "i thank you God for most this amazing".  At the end of We'll Say Goodnight, but not Goodbye, I went on to briefly quote the specific portion of Whitacre's work from which the motive was pulled.  This quote from Whitacre's work also has textual significance as his female voices finish singing the phrase, "and this is the birthday of wings".

We'll Say Goodnight, but not Goodbye || Brass Ensemble

David Faleris

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