! ...and here I was just about to celebrate falling for a piece of music that totally lacked a single pitch below middle C.

' N O W _ ( N O _ M O R E ) '

( 2 0 1 3 : a l t o _ f l u t e _ s o l o + e n s e m b l e + e l e c t r o n i c s )

. . . written for flautist Jenny Dyson; live recording here from 15.06.13/RNCM (Gold Medal Weekend), starring Elinor Nicholson (harp), Oliver Farrant ('cello), Graham Proctor (percussion) et moi (electronics) . . .

Now (no more)

destroy the middle w/ ensemble Recherche

For four trombones, four violins, and four sopranos - performance by students at Northwestern Univeristy

Transformations (2007)

Blindsided

by lightening bugs and glow worms

I used to deem my life 

a bird song that made

irrational decisions much easier 

to make

But now my wings become 

human 

Around my smile

there is an abacus 

counting the drops of blood

that fall from my lips

Is there no place to be?

Sparks are a colorblind dust

when blues run the game

Rumor has it

I was born to play 

this part

An involuntary trigger

guides me to a point

I can almost sense

the unconfined space

from that moment

It's an odd thing, no?

Only sometimes pleasant 

I must be human 

child of the mandrake w/ Shanna Gutierrez and Frauke Aulbert of collect/project

The title Charon refers to the boatman who ferries dead souls across the river Acheron to the shores of Hell. The music itself isn’t intended to be expressly programmatic, but the otherworldly qualities brought about by the unison timbres of the clarinet, violin and cello as well as the slowly ascending melodic patterns, provide subtle allusions to the title. Perhaps equally relevant is the manner in which the piece gradually and methodically morphs from the five-note pattern of the opening to a very different ending point. Charon was written for the ai ensemble.

Charon for clarinet, violin and cello

Recording of the premiere performance by the Divertimento Ensemble.

Notes:

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
On such a full sea are we now afloat. 
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.”

-William Shakespeare (Julius Caesar, Act IV Scene III)

Rising Tide was premiered by the Divertimento Ensemble on September 21, 2015 at the Milano EXPO Gates.  



Rising Tide (2015) for seven musicians

Tone Stampede 4

Oil & Sugar

Plectra, performed by the Chicago Harp Quartet in Chicago, October 2016.

Chicago Harp Quartet

Plectra

Conveyance was premiered in Davis, California by members of the Empyrean Ensemble.

Conveyance, for alto flute, bass clarinet and piano

Drew Baker is a Chicago-based composer and pianist. Described by the American Record Guide as "extremely inventive," Baker's music explores the many sonic identities of conventional and unconventional instrumentations, often taking into account visual art and politics.

Baker's complete piano music was recently recorded by renowned pianist Marilyn Nonken and <a href="http://www.newfocusrecordings.com/catalogue/drew-bakermarilyn-nonken-stress-position">released on New Focus Recordings</a>. Additionally, his works have been performed by a number of leading contemporary music ensembles including
<a href="http://taleaensemble.org/">The Talea Ensemble</a>, <a href="http://www.iceorg.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)</a>, <a href="http://dalniente.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ensemble Dal Niente</a>, The Group for Contemporary Music, <a href="http://www.moderecords.com/profiles/ensemble21.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ensemble21</a>, and <a href="http://www.chicagochambermusic.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chicago Chamber Musicians</a>. 

Baker earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music in Composition from Rice University and a Doctor of Music in Composition from Northwestern University. His primary composition teachers have included Marti Epstein, Augusta Read Thomas, Shih-Hui Chen, Karim Al-Zand and Jason Eckardt. Find out more at www.drewbakermusic.com.

Charon for clarinet, violin and cello

drewbakermusic

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