Effervesce (2017) was commissioned by and dedicated to Rogier de Pijper and first performed by Rogier and pianist Paolo Gorini at the 12th Adams International Flute Festival in Ittervoort, The Netherlands on April 21st 2017.  Here are three short excerpts from this 15 minute piece. 

Program Note: The chemical reactions involved in fermenting liquids are deeply fascinating. When kefir grains are introduced to milk, for example, live cultures of bacteria inhabit the substance and begin converting milk sugars (lactose) to lactic acid. The environment slowly changes and swirls with activity as the kefir grains rise and fall during the various phases of the fermentation process. A new infusion (or yogurt) is complete when bubbles of carbon dioxide, the bi-product of the feasting bacteria, rise to the surface and "effervesce.” Not unlike these fizzy bubbles of C02, uncontrollable emotions such as Joy or enthusiasm can “effervesce” and bubble up from inside of our being. Both of these imagines helped inspired the musical gestures and formal design of piece.

Effervesce (near the end)

Effervesce (somewhere in the middle)

Effervesce (some of the beginning flute solo)

All arrangements of famous carols or hymns for guitar quartet and recorded with student.  Licks, Riffs and Angels is all me!

Licks, Riffs And Angels

Jam Ye Merry Gents

Hyfrydol Hymn Arr.

Drum, Strummer Boy, Drum!

Music became part of my life at an early age. I remember spending long hours listening to pop and rock songs of the sixties, seventies and eighties and being mesmerized by what I was hearing.  Eventually this   fired up in me an insatiable passion for the guitar, as well as a desire to make music my life.  While teaching guitar and working as a professional guitarist in various Milwaukee based rock/pop bands, I discovered a talent for creating my own music. This led me to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I studied composition and classical guitar.  Knowing full well that this was merely just the tip of a vast ice burg, I went on to complete a Masters and Ph.D. in composition from Stony Brook University in New York.

Currently I’m the Assistant Chair of Composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Formerly I taught music theory, composition, arranging and music technology at Vanguard University of Southern California. There I also served as the Guitar Area Coordinator and started and directed the Vanguard University Guitar Ensemble.

I was honored to be mentioned in this article by College Magazine:

https://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-music-professors-inspire-us/#

Gregory T Glancey

Popular tracks