Part 1: Identity - 0:00
Part 2: Sisyphus - 1:33
Part 3: Ransom - 3:36
Part 4: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi - 6:57
Part 5: Three Days - 10:54
Part 6: In Memory - 14:54

-

Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas no longer produces insulin. There are no known causes as to why T1D develops, there are only speculations. Insulin is the hormone which allows the body’s energy source, sugar, into the cells. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood and the body starves. The human body cannot survive without insulin and will begin to break down muscles and fatty tissues for energy. Ketones, a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fatty tissue, are released into the bloodstream. As ketones build up in the blood, they make the body acidic and uninhabitable for the body’s organs. This acidification of the body is called diabeticketoacidosis (DKA) and it is fatal. If a diabetic does not have insulin, they will develop DKA, and they will die within three days. 

The US is the only industrialized nation where there are no price caps on life sustaining medication. There is an insulin crisis; diabetics are forced to ration their insulin and/or turn to the black market because they cannot afford their insulin. Some have ended up dead. They should not have died, and we should not let any more die from a perfectly manageable disease.

Insulin Dependent (2021)

Performance by Balance Campaign. https://balancecampaign.com

Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that is caused by an extensive period of constant stress. In a time where people are expected to persevere through any hardship and retain the same level of productivity as before, it is only inevitable that feelings of burnout will occur. After experiencing my own, I decided to take these feelings and translate them into a musical setting. The piece musically emulates the development of burnout. It begins with a very large range of pitch in a sound mass, with lines coming in and out with energy. Following this section, fragments of rhythmic motives begin to develop and layer atop one another, building into a fuller texture. These small fragments come together and create a large and full statement.  With constant repetition, the music takes a turn and begins to separate and venture into new territories, clashing rhythmically and harmonically, essentially burning itself out. The statement falls apart, contracting back to a small range of notes, with interruptions of chaos. Each instrument is pushed near its limits, succumbing to the feeling of being All Burnt Up.

All Burnt Up (2020)

Performance by the Strata Trio on April 9th, 2021 at the Linehan Concert Hall at UMBC.

https://stratamusic.org

Based upon four different neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins), Neurotransmitters for a Trio travels through the extremes of excess and deficit of these brain chemicals. Serotonin controls the stabilization of mood and bodily functions, and so it acts as “stabilization” between movements, although it has its own excess and deficit expressed in the varying movements. Dopamine is considered an emotional reactionary chemical; oxytocin a physical reactionary chemical; and the endorphins, in a sense, combine emotional-physical reactionary chemicals. The piece explores how these chemicals affect the human body and psyche in a spectrum of excess-to-deficit, and translates those ideas to a musical expression.

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, VI. Endorphins

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, V. Serotonin III

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, IV. Oxytocin

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, III. Serotonin II

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, II. Dopamine

Neurotransmitters for a Trio, I. Serotonin I

Recorded by Christian Hartman in Gore Recital Hall at University of Delaware in 2022.

Part I - 0:00 
Part II - 2:30 
Part III - 3:37
Part IV - 6:16 
Part V - 9:45

Threnody for the Prematurely Departed was composed in honor of the late Braydon J. Chambers, somebody who held a special place in my family’s heart. We wish that he has found peace and no longer must suffer. 

This work is comprised of five movements that use the same set of pitches as palette to express each movement’s character. While composing the piece, I reflected on my initial process of grieving and the emotions I went through, and how they came in waves. It is well known that the “five stages of grief” (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) is a myth and is not the typical experience that people face when grieving, I used this widespread cultural knowledge of this model to act as my framework for my composition on grief. Each movement is a character piece of my interpretation of the emotions in this five-stage model.

The pitch set I used throughout the piece was devised by assigning pitches to numbers, and creating my pitch set from a phone number. The phone number used is (800) 273-8255, the National Suicide Prevention Line, better known as the Suicide Hotline. People struggling with mental illness and/or their mental health deserve as much help as those with physical illnesses; those who struggle deserve love and support from those around them. We can help brighten their lives and make them feel loved and wanted. Please take a moment to reach out to the ones you love and express how much they mean to you, see how they are doing, and find something you can do to help them. Even the smallest action can make a big difference.

If you would like to donate to the Brayden James Chambers Memorial Fund to help spread awareness and increase support for those struggling with depression, please follow this URL: tinyurl.com/BraydonChambersFund

Threnody for the Prematurely Departed

Threnody for the Prematurely Departed (2021)

Performance by Alexander Dudkin (clarinet) and Pei-Hsuan Lin (piano) on May 10, 2022 at University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

Death was a common theme in my experience of 2021. Topics of death infiltrated my artistic creations. For this piece, I approached death with the idea that the heart is a vital element in sustaining life, and thus explored how dysfunction of the heart can lead to death. The progression of the piece is based upon four dysfunctions of the heart called arrhythmias, which are irregular heartbeats. The four arrhythmias I delved into were ventricular fibrillations, tachycardia, premature ventricular contractions, and asystole. Ventricular fibrillations are when the heart flutters and the ventricles do not properly contract to pump blood through the heart; tachycardia is any accelerated heartrate that is greater than 100 beats per minute; premature ventricular contractions are “extra” or “early” heartbeats; asystole is when there is no electricity or movement of the heart – better known as “flatlining”. I expressed concepts of these arrhythmias in the textures of the piece and the relationship and interaction of the clarinet and piano.

Arrhythmia (2022)

The Other Side, for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello (2018)

For brass quintet (2 trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba)

NotePerformer Realization

The Face In The Water (2019)

For flute, viola, & harp

Performed by Carolyn Kelley (flute), Sixto Franco (viola), and Grace Cross (harp) at the 2019 Fresh Inc. Festival in Kenosha, WI.

Ella (2019)

Performed by the Bergamot Quartet on September 26th, 2020 at UMBC's Linehan Concert Hall.

Duality of Man, II. Declarative (2019)

Duality of Man, I. Agitated (2019)

For the best listening experience, use headphones!

This is an aural representation of the experience of a low blood sugar episode of a type 1 diabetic. It is disorienting, anxiety-inducing, and confusing. It can be a near death experience.

Low Glucose Vibes

Kathryn Blake is Maryland-based composer. Her compositions have been premiered by the Bergamot String Quartet and percussionist Jonathan Sotelo. Kathryn’s work has been featured in the Fresh Inc. Festival, the District New Music Coalition, and T1International. Kathryn participates in interdisciplinary collaborations, working with both visual artists and dancers. She works with the Achelois Collective for social justice through music. Kathryn is also an Insulin for All advocate and has interests in psychology and mental health.

Kathryn Blake

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