Professor Hate-Face has exhausted his hostages. They are no longer answering questions. He decides to implement highly sophisticated torture techniques. He drags the poor souls to New York City, plops them in the first row of seats in Alice Tully Hall, and proceeds to give them his premier recorder recital. Accompanying Professor Hate-Face is his evil sidekick, Assist-Imp. Fortunately for the hostages, Captain Tight-Pants was informed of their capture and is currently flying JetBlue from San Francisco Intl. to JFK. Unfortunately for the hostages, their captors were too busy planning the world's demise to practice. Be strong, hostages.

Professor Hate-Face Reveals Dastardly Plan

"Troposphere" is my interpretation of possible "world map" music for a video game or simply atmospheric music for film. It is very calm and beautiful, but it evolves and slight tension arises. 

Troposphere

Piece for three French horns. The piece slowly builds suspense with dissonances that "resolve" to open fifths or tri-tones. 

Day Eight of the 11 x 2 project.

Unaware

Down-low is calm and relaxing mood music that could be easily looped. Possible "game menu" music.

Down-low

March 9, 2016, I was staying in a homestay in the village of Pengosekan, Bali on Hari Raya Nyepi. Nyepi is the Balinese New Year, known as a day of silence and reflection. On this most spiritual of days, there was a full solar eclipse. My friend called me to wake up and I walked out of my room to an unusual light, accompanied by screaming cicadas. On a normal day in Pengosekan, which neighbors the busy town of Ubud, the cicadas might be overwhelmed by the sounds of motorbikes and construction projects. Today, no one could leave their homes and had to limit electricity and cooking as much as possible. I spent the day lounging about with good friends and occasionally picking up my book. We ate traditional lawar, cooked the day before, along with hard-boiled duck eggs, avocado, salami, and baguette. It was the most perfectly beautiful, warm, and wonderful day, followed by an equally stunning night of endless stars.

Hari Raya Nyepi during the Solar Eclipse

Processional and Kyrie from Mass for women's voices, organ, percussion, and dance. Premiered May 11, 2012.

Processional and Kyrie

Katie Harrell is a Fulbright Student Researcher living in Indonesia, studying traditional Balinese music. Her other home is in Oakland, California, where she plays with several Balinese groups, and lives with her husband, Daniel Capo, and their two cats. 


Katie Harrell

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