for cello, vibraphone, and piano

I wrote this piece in the winter of 2011/2012 for my sister, Sarah. While I was brainstorming a piece for this instrumentation, she was going through an immensely difficult time in life, and it broke my heart to see her in so much pain. I found myself continually frustrated with the fact that the only way I could communicate with her was through windows, whether via a computer or a cell phone, because of the distance that college life put between us. The open fifths in the piano represent the various windows that the cello and vibraphone converse amiably in while still never completely giving the sense of wholeness. As the piece progresses, the tension of not being able to communicate harmonically builds until the tension finally breaks, representing the day I gave up the fight and drove home to see her. As much as I would have liked to stay for an extended time, my obligations to my education only allowed for a short stay, so I made my return to school that same day. This, once again, forced the only communication between us to occur through our own separate windows. However, it made it easier for me to press the "send" button knowing I was able to see her for a short while. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel— or the LED screen. Whichever is most convenient, I suppose.

Score can be purchased at www.heidijoosten.com

© 2012

Windows

for SSAATTBB chorus

In the Academy Award winning movie “Life of Pi”, the title character Pi Patel makes the statement, “None of us knows God until someone introduces us.” In December 2012, I had the privilege of spending the New Year with my family in Southern California to watch my brother perform with the UW-Madison Marching Band at the Rose Bowl. While we were there, we took a drive from Los Angeles down to San Diego, taking the coastal highway. On that breathtaking journey, I was very spiritually moved, and reflecting on this text while watching the incredible imagery just outside the window, I imagined how someone might react when first being introduced to this text, especially if they had never been introduced to God before. The repetition of text to reflect understanding, the transition from one powerful chain of timeless words to the next, and the breadth of emotions expressed in the entire core of the Christian faith in six short lines are the foundation of this piece. 

The translation is as follows:

Adoramus te Christe,                                  We adore you, O Christ,
et benedicimus tibi:                                     and we bless you:
quia per sanctam crucem                           because your holy cross
et passionem tuam,                                     and Passion
redemisti mundum.                                    redeemed the world. Domine, miserere nobis.                                          O Lord, have mercy on us.

Score can be purchased at www.heidijoosten.com

Adoramus Te

How impossible it is
to be alone
the one thing humanity 
       has never really
moved towards

—Lorine Niedecker

This song was written for the senior recital of a classmate at UWEC as part of a set of poems by Wisconsin women writers in April of 2014.  When first presented with this poem by Lorine Niedecker, I was immediately moved at how sixteen words could be so incredibly relevant to the millennial generation. Through social media and technology, we are never truly “alone” thanks to the thousands of connections we have made.  However, this “six degrees of separation” has caused us to truly separate ourselves from each other, trading instant messaging for face-to-face conversation.  “Voluntary Solitude” was inspired by the uncertainty in the words “has never really” and how the author chose to offset that text in the poem alignment.  The extreme range use of the piano represents the numerous connections and “friends”, “followers”, and connections we have at our fingertips.  The reaching inside the piano to muffle the notes C and A are a direct reflection on how we make the conscious decision to detach ourselves from the real world and communicate via technology at our own discretion.  People voluntarily choose to ignore messages, fail to return phone calls, and communicate unless it benefits them, resulting in true loneliness, even if a friend list states otherwise.

“The great myth of our times is that technology is communication”—Libby Larsen

Score can be purchased at www.heidijoosten.com

Voluntary Solitude

performed by the CCPA Wind Ensemble as the winning entry for their student composition contest, Maestro Stephen Squires conducting.

Commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. John R. Stewart, Silent Night, Sea of Light represents the personal struggle and transition of the first time I moved away from home, comfort, family, and peace. In relocating to a large city from a very rural area, I found myself suffering from the dichotomy of the nights I was faced with: living in an area with unlimited opportunities but every square inch of space affected by artificial light at all times, or the peaceful evenings I was used to back home in a place of comfort where my personal goals and aspirations could never be fully realized. Simply enough, I missed seeing the stars each night, especially my favorite constellation, Cassiopeia, which is embodied in the melodic motif throughout the piece. The motif becomes distorted and masked through passages of dissonance and struggle, but it never quite disappears, like a vision of home. Through this transition of life, I came to accept that while I will call other places in my life “home”, my heart will always remain in Northern Wisconsin. I just have to look hard enough to see the same stars.

Score can be puchased at www.heidijoosten.com

Silent Night, Sea Of Light - CCPA

Performed by the UWEC Women's Chorus; Beth Joosten, conductor

In early 2016, my dear friend, Mark D. Lefeber, approached me with the idea of writing a piece for his high school treble choir to fit into his concert theme of Empowering Women. We explored various texts, ideas, and themes, but in collaborating with the women, it became apparent to us all that we didn’t want to be reiterating someone else’s words. We could create a piece all our own. In diving deeper, however, we realized that the majority of the female experience is wrapped up in exactly what others say about us and their opinions on makeup, behavior, appearance, ambition, etc.

Through this discovery, “Autobiographical” was born.

The piece begins aleatorically with the women speaking negative statements people have said about them, all using the words “You” or “You are”. Through the musical material, they describe how frustrating the daily situation is, but to counteract that and live boldly and unapologetically in their truth, they demand to take back the narrative:

 
Let me tell my story
Let the words be my own
 
There’s a light that burns within me
To leave a trail, a path, a legacy
A fire that yearns to show
 
that I am beautiful and smart
A magnificent work of art
Sharing all the love I have to bestow.
 
My tale is only mine to tell,
Let it be autobiographical.
 
The piece ends aleatorically once again as they go their separate ways, this time speaking confidently in their truths of “I am…”

Score is for sale and can be found at www.heidijoosten.com

Autobiographical

In creating the Appetite Concerto as the submission for my Masters thesis, I wanted to explore two things that were important to me: harp writing in a wind ensemble setting and food. Much of my previous wind ensemble experience was spent behind a harp, and I wanted to create a feature piece for the instrument that had never been done before. 

Those close to me will tell you in a heartbeat that I am not as funny as I think I am, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to insert humor into classical music as often as I can. One thing that to irks me about contemporary instrumental concertos is their often ridiculously long length and inaccessibility to young musicians. I wanted to combat this and write a piece where each movement doesn’t exceed 7 minutes in length (the first three rest somewhere between four or five) with a sound world and difficulty level that would appeal to younger, collegiate players. 

In playing around with the words “a…petite…concerto”, I found myself amused with the pun and moved forward with the “Appetite Concerto”, titling each movement after a few of my favorite foods since moving to the city of Chicago. While inspiration can be found from these foods in the piece, the music is more of a reflection of how I feel when consuming these products in their specific environments. 

I. Cortadito is a shot of Cuban espresso, a teaspoon of milk, and a teaspoon of natural cane sugar, known to the average person as a “cortado” with sugar. The name change was inspired by the home restaurant, “Cafecito” and as a way to reference its tiny size.  A bundle of energy wrapped into a few swallows, this short, flashy Latin-inspired movement follows the general frame of a sonata form with very repetitive material. 

II. Pepperoni and Spinach Deep Dish Pizza happens to be my favorite order of pizza, and nobody makes it better than Pequod’s in Lincoln Park. Their special recipe caramelizes the crust in a uniquely delicious manner, but the average time to wait for it to finish baking is 45 minutes after ordering. This movement reflects the slow buildup of hunger as food is made, jubilation as it arrives at the table, ecstasy when consuming, and the inevitable weight felt as the eater contemplates that second piece before eventually giving in to the temptation and suffering the subsequent consequences.   

Unlike the first two movements, III. Skillet Cookie has a darker tone. A chamber piece for woodwind sextet, harp, piano, and two percussionists, this piece explores the unhealthy side of eating a half-baked skillet of cookie dough with a heaping scoop of ice cream on top. With no nutritional value found in the recipe as well as six of the major allergens known to humans, only a small subsect of the human race can enjoy this food without consequence. Arguably, the same could be said about “contemporary” classical music audiences. The extended techniques present in the harp are indicative of the art music conversations my colleagues would have while eating a skillet cookie at the Lincoln Station in Lincoln Park. 

Finally, IV. Dirty Bastard represents the third Wednesday of each month spent at O’Shaughnessey’s Public House in Ravenswood. “Third Wednesday” offers live Irish music after 8 P.M. as well as a large selection of craft beer, including Stone Brewing's “Arrogant Bastard.” These live musicians teach the melody once or twice until everyone catches on, and the tune morphs as they continue. Arrogant Bastard takes on a modified rondo form as material from the three movements that precede it weave in and out of an original melody with a Celtic flair. A flashy cadenza at the end shows off the harp’s best moments from the previous movements, tying together the full menu for digestion.

For score and parts, please inquire at www.heidijoosten.com

Appetite Concerto - IV. Arrogant Bastard

In creating the Appetite Concerto as the submission for my Masters thesis, I wanted to explore two things that were important to me: harp writing in a wind ensemble setting and food. Much of my previous wind ensemble experience was spent behind a harp, and I wanted to create a feature piece for the instrument that had never been done before. 

Those close to me will tell you in a heartbeat that I am not as funny as I think I am, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to insert humor into classical music as often as I can. One thing that to irks me about contemporary instrumental concertos is their often ridiculously long length and inaccessibility to young musicians. I wanted to combat this and write a piece where each movement doesn’t exceed 7 minutes in length (the first three rest somewhere between four or five) with a sound world and difficulty level that would appeal to younger, collegiate players. 

In playing around with the words “a…petite…concerto”, I found myself amused with the pun and moved forward with the “Appetite Concerto”, titling each movement after a few of my favorite foods since moving to the city of Chicago. While inspiration can be found from these foods in the piece, the music is more of a reflection of how I feel when consuming these products in their specific environments. 

I. Cortadito is a shot of Cuban espresso, a teaspoon of milk, and a teaspoon of natural cane sugar, known to the average person as a “cortado” with sugar. The name change was inspired by the home restaurant, “Cafecito” and as a way to reference its tiny size.  A bundle of energy wrapped into a few swallows, this short, flashy Latin-inspired movement follows the general frame of a sonata form with very repetitive material. 

II. Pepperoni and Spinach Deep Dish Pizza happens to be my favorite order of pizza, and nobody makes it better than Pequod’s in Lincoln Park. Their special recipe caramelizes the crust in a uniquely delicious manner, but the average time to wait for it to finish baking is 45 minutes after ordering. This movement reflects the slow buildup of hunger as food is made, jubilation as it arrives at the table, ecstasy when consuming, and the inevitable weight felt as the eater contemplates that second piece before eventually giving in to the temptation and suffering the subsequent consequences.   

Unlike the first two movements, III. Skillet Cookie has a darker tone. A chamber piece for woodwind sextet, harp, piano, and two percussionists, this piece explores the unhealthy side of eating a half-baked skillet of cookie dough with a heaping scoop of ice cream on top. With no nutritional value found in the recipe as well as six of the major allergens known to humans, only a small subsect of the human race can enjoy this food without consequence. Arguably, the same could be said about “contemporary” classical music audiences. The extended techniques present in the harp are indicative of the art music conversations my colleagues would have while eating a skillet cookie at the Lincoln Station in Lincoln Park. 

Finally, IV. Dirty Bastard represents the third Wednesday of each month spent at O’Shaughnessey’s Public House in Ravenswood. “Third Wednesday” offers live Irish music after 8 P.M. as well as a large selection of craft beer, including Founder’s “Dirty Bastard.” These live musicians teach the melody once or twice until everyone catches on, and the tune morphs as they continue. Dirty Bastard takes on a modified rondo form as material from the three movements that precede it weave in and out of an original melody with a Celtic flair. A flashy cadenza at the end shows off the harp’s best moments from the previous movements, tying together the full menu for digestion.

For score and parts, please inquire at www.heidijoosten.com

Appetite Concerto - III. Skillet Cookie

Appetite Concerto - II. Pepperoni And Spinach Deep Dish Pizza

Appetite Concerto - I. Cortadito

Commissioned by the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Wind Symphony
Dr. John R. Stewart, conductor
---
Program notes: 

For 14 months of my tenure in Chicago, I spent anywhere from 10-15 hours a week in rush hour traffic commuting to and from work. An estimated 10 million people live and work in the surrounding Chicagoland area, and very few of these people enjoy being in transit, myself generally included. For an introvert who enjoys quiet solitude to decompress or to give myself a pep talk for the day, there was rarely an opportunity to have a sliver of a second where I wasn’t interrupted.
Occasionally, however, I would find myself momentarily soaking in the sounds of the city, allowing the sounds of squealing breaks, accelerations over potholes, and numerous car horns on either side to paint a landscape of the city that inherited me (which was far, far removed from the rural village I grew up in).
A fanfare has historically been used to announce something or someone of importance. In Chicago rush hour traffic, everyone is the most important person on the road, and they use everything in their power to ensure you know it. Rush depicts the general organized chaos of being surrounded by ten million people determined to get to their destination as quickly as possible in as little time as aggressively possible. The offstage horns represent the echo/Doppler effect of being surrounded on all sides, an inability to escape until your car, bus, or train reaches your particular stop.
At least there’s always that one guy doing the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen to keep you entertained.

Rush

Sarah Joosten, Soprano and Jennifer Lohman, Piano

Score can be found at www.heidijoosten.com

The Lord Is The Everlasting God

Sarah Joosten, Soprano and Jennifer Lohman, Piano

Commissioned by Sarah Joosten for her senior recital, "She" draws its strength from biblical verses depicting the female experience.

Score can be found at www.heidijoosten.com

for SATB Chorus and Wind Ensemble

Program Notes:
 
Originally commissioned by the Lakeland Conference High School Honors Choir in 2015, Gaudete Omnes is a spirited anthem based on the Advent text originally made famous by Renaissance composer Jan Sweelinck. This setting with wind ensemble accompaniment, commissioned by the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Symphonic Choir, builds on the polyphonic ideas originally used by Sweelinck, but contemporary harmonic and rhythmic motion add to the jubilation described in the text.
 
 
 
 
Translation:
 
 
Gaudete omnes, et laetamini,
quia ecce, desideratus advenit.
Introite in conspectu eius in exultatione.
Scitote quoniam ipse est expectatio nostra.
Alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad, all of you 
for behold he for whom you longed comes.
Enter into his presence with singing.
Know that he is our hope.
Alleluia!
 
Please visit www.heidijoosten.com to inquire about score and parts.

Gaudete Omnes - SATB Choral + Wind Ensemble

American composer, arranger, and performer

HeidiJoosten

Popular tracks