Juilliard Orchestra
Jeffrey Milarksy, Conductor
February 20, 2020 at Alice Tully Hall

"fractured orbits" was written in summer/fall 2019 for the Juilliard Orchestra. The title arises from the concept of examining one’s own thought processes, which as a composer is often a helpful form of self-reflection. I find that if we are able to make ourselves better aware of these thought processes, especially those used in making music, it allows us to harness the power of intuition more creatively and efficiently. While the piece does not attempt to depict any particular mental states literally, it appeared to me to fit the idea of cycles, or orbits, that return and are constantly being fragmented and transformed. This process, which happens nonstop in the brain, is recreated in the treatment of musical motives and gestures. In terms of form, I wanted all the players to have a soloistic part; thus the piece is a sort of concerto for orchestra.

While I was working on this piece, my teacher of two years, Christopher Rouse passed away. His sudden passing impacted me deeply, and I tried hard to focus on how thankful and fortunate I was to be touched by his wonderful humanity and mentorship. Several influences from him and his many listening assignments crept into the piece, which is dedicated with gratitude to his memory.

fractured orbits (2019) - Juilliard Orchestra

Joy Redmond (she/her) is a composer and musician based in New York City. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied composition with Matthias Pintscher. Currently, Joy’s musical pursuits include composing for concert, stage, and media works, collaborating with other artists as a producer and arranger, and performing on keyboards in a variety of genres.

Nando Florestan is a composer of classical music (and pianist). He studied harmony, counterpoint, orchestration and composition with Osvaldo Lacerda, then went on to study music at Universidade de São Paulo.  He is available to score your film, game etc.  He also knows a lot about music theory and might be available to teach you.