Written in the fall of 2016, this piece for saxophone quartet is an ever-moving response to the stasis of summer that takes the fluttering of birds as its main inspiration. It explores the outwardly joyful, yet unsettled feeling of being on the outside of a cataclysmic event looking in.

For the Birds (for saxophone quartet) - Reading Session

“In Passing” began as an improvisation a few hours after midnight on New Year’s, the first notes I played in 2017. As I was writing, I turned my attention to that reflective space between years when we set aside time to construct wildly imaginative and idealistic visions of the future, but are not quite ready to let go of the past. As such, this piece is driven by complex, unresolved harmonies and changes in character. It is in turns an elegy for the year gone by and a statement of wonder at what might happen next.

In Passing

While writing Demolition Dance for Present~Continuous New Music Ensemble, I was thinking about the construction site at a church I visited that previous summer. As walls and floors were removed in preparation for a new addition to the building, the church bells continued to chime, and the space opened up in unexpected ways. This piece constructs its rhythmic and melodic identity with the input of each ensemble member, expanding outward and building in momentum until it topples under its own weight. The quotations of the Westminster chimes in the trumpet and piano are an homage to the scene that inspired this piece.

Live recording, premiered March 22, 2018 by the UNCG Present~Continuous New Music Ensemble.

Demolition Dance

Vows

Composed in Reason with original samples, March 2018.

Spliced Bread

“Discipleship” takes on the idea of “jumping ship” from a literal and figurative perspective, as it tells the narrative of someone beginning to question a religious figure they once looked up to. Throughout the song, the harmonic language and sound color of the music expands outward from a single note to reflect the excitement and chaos of forming a new, independent identity. 

Discipleship

For the Birds (orchestra) - Reading Session

Pretext is a set of three art songs taking their lyrics from predictive text-- the word-by-word suggestions that appear on your device as you compose a note or message. My own text suggestions form the basis for a dialogue between a strung-out workaholic and the people who would care about her. While at first the narrator uses her busyness as a pretext to fight off closeness and emotional vulnerability in her relationships, she eventually hits a point of burnout, from which she must relearn how to take pleasure in rest, recreation, and a deeper sense of connection with others.

Premiered by Nicole Wood, mezzo-soprano, and James Green, piano, on April 10, 2019.

Rest

The Working Girl (Cat Chef's Lament)

I Just Got Out of My Meeting

Grace Gollmar’s expressive works have been performed by several chamber ensembles as well as sacred and secular choirs. Previously premiered by ensembles such as Quintet Sirocco, Present~Continuous New Music Ensemble, and the Auld Saxophone Quartet, Grace’s chamber pieces reflect her background as a vocalist with their infectious melodic lines and articulate turns of musical phrase. As a vocalist and pianist, Grace also regularly collaborates with other living composers and is passionate about premiering new works for voice.

Grace is currently a master’s student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studies composition with Yevgeniy Sharlat and organizes events with CLUTCH New Music. When Grace is not composing, she enjoys photography, baking, and learning new languages.

Grace Gollmar

Popular tracks