Arbitrary/Peremptory is a collaboration with visual artist and librettist Sean Lopez written for his show Always Girls and Forever Boys. Arbitrary/Peremptory combines autobiographical experiences from both of us and amalgamates them together into a fragmented and obscured narrative that holds parts of each of us. The voice in this piece is represented in multitudes and multiplicities, comprising not only the live performer, but also the entirety of the electronics. The computer and the voice are closely tied together and respond to one another; as the computer listens and reacts to the performer, the performer does the same. 

The narrative of this piece centers around an unnamed character full of contradictions, embodying strength and weakness, child and adult, divine and mortal, grief and joy. The primary narrative thread of this character centers around a grieving and abused child, attempting to deal with the dramatic and painful loss of his grandmother. We see him as he experiences the grief of loss, the pain of oppression and confinement, the trauma of violence and conflict, and the darkness of isolation. We see him attempt to transcend his circumstances, his pain, and even his human body.

Performed and Composed by J. Andrew Smith
Libretto and Scene by Sean Lopez
This piece was a finalist for the 2022 ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission Competition.

Arbitrary/Peremptory

Utterances; Rage/Remit for Percussion and Interactive Electronics Performed by Jordan Walsh

Utterances: Rage/Remit

Breaking; Mending

i believed in love then by J. Andrew Smith 
text by Emily Leflet and Robert Burns
Performed by John Mink and The BGSU New Music Ensemble


i believed In love then

Mountain Flower was written for and developed at New Music Music on the Point 2016 with Wesley Wong, flute; Adam Marks, piano; Bradley Frizzell, clarinet; and Madeline Huss, soprano. The text is selected from the final pages of Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Joyce's Ulysses. 

I can't thank these four incredible musicians enough for their determined and passionate work making the premiere of this piece happen. Their musicianship and dedication to this project was nothing short of inspiring!

Mountain Flower

"Before dark, how distant the past" was written for the Fall 2016 Toledo Symphony Orchestra Student Composer Reading Session and was conducted by Michael Lewanski in the recording heard here. 

Before dark, how distant the past was inspired by Armenian-American poet Peter Balakian’s “Leaving Aleppo” from the collection Ozone Journal, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Both Balakian’s poem and my piece reflect on the city of Aleppo in Syria, which was the final destination of many of the death marches of the Armenian Genocide in the early twentieth century, including the one that Balakian’s grandmother survived. Modern day Aleppo is plagued by the Syrian Civil War; bombings are rampant, and food is scarce as refugees attempt to flee to all corners of the world to escape the violence. "Before dark, how distant the past" reflects on the brutality the city faces, past and present, and the importance of memory in dark times.

Before Dark, How Distant The Past

A Poem is Not a Memoir is inspired by Peter Balakian’s “Ozone Journal,”
part two of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book with the same name.
Balakian’s poem weaves the personal with the historic as the threads of
his journey to the Syrian desert of Der Zor in 2009 are juxtaposed with
fragments of memories inspired by Balakian’s own life. Strands of these
memories evoke the heartbreak of a failed marriage, stories of the
synthesis of Kind of Blue, the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s, and many
others which find resonance in Balakian’s journey and the memory of the Armenian Genocide.

This piece would not have been possible without the incredible artistry
and passion of Lisa Kaplan and Matthew Duvall; their work as members
of Eighth Blackbird has inspired me for years, and I am grateful for
their beautiful and thrilling performance of this piece as well as their invaluable input during our collaboration. 

Special thanks are also due to Dr. Peter Balakian for allowing me to use his
poetry for this piece as well as for his willingness to meet with me
and discuss Ozone Journal. His writing continues to inspire and
move me, and I look forward to the publication of his future work.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank my mentor, Dr. Elainie Lillios.
She continues to be fount of wisdom and inspiration, and I am
remarkably grateful for her guidance.

A Poem Is Not A Memoir

Pianist Brendan Jacklin performing my work "Disturbed Earth" at the 2017 SPLICE Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Disturbed Earth

a darkness carried, collaboration with saxophonist Drew Whiting for SPLICE Institute 2018, edited and recorded at UW-Oshkosh with the assistance of engineer Nathan Edwards.

A Darkness Carried

for Cello and Live Electronics 
Performance at SPLICE 2019 by Stephen Marotto.

JASmithComposer

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