Collection of 8 modern pieces for piano and viola.  Available also in solo piano.

Stillness Variations

Stillness Variations (Laura Siersema, Mimi Rabson)

This is my first arrangement of "Aberfan", a folk song that my mother wrote for guitar in 1966 following the landslide disaster in Wales.   A spoil heap of coal waste catastrophically collapsed upon a primary school and nearby houses, killing 116 children and 28 adults.  

My full length, modern composition "Aberfan (7 pianos, voice and tools of rescue)" uses excerpts from her song as well as portions of two hymns -- one typically sung at morning assembly, and the second sung at the mass funeral less than one week later.  A woven, through-composed piece of  31 sections of music:  "Rain", "Sunrise",  "Interlude", "Hymn", "Rock", "Rubble" and "Field" with their Alterations.

"Aberfan" is a sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization. Contributions on behalf of Aberfan must be made payable to NYFA, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  

I am currently seeking funds to support this project. http://www.tinyurl.com/FundAberfan

"Aberfan"  (original song by Dinny Coates Siersema)

In the small Welsh town of Aberfan
for days the rain did fall
down on the heart of Aberfan
the mountain began to crawl

The little children of Aberfan
were in their school that day
when the big coal mountain above them high
began to rumble and sway

Oh the big black mountain of rock and slag
began to tumble down
it buried the children in the ground
in a town called Aberfan.

They worked with their picks all through the day
dug with their shovels and hands
kept on digging all through the night
in a town called Aberfan

They dug two trenches for their graves
placed green bracken ’round
the dead they numbered eighty and one
and they laid them in the ground

Oh the big black mountain of rock and slag
began to tumble down
no children are playing there.
it buried the children in the ground
in a town called Aberfan.

No more do the meadows ring with song,
no laughter fills the air
autumn days are filled with gloom
no children are playing there.

Photo courtesy of Alan George

Love Flows Like the Blood of a River

Aberfan

Aberfan (by Dinny Coates Siersema, arr 2003 by Laura Siersema)

Who Needs This Heart

Who needs this heart
who will share in the world upon my shoulders
who needs this heart
it’s a wild one

Who sees this heart
in the crumple and changing of September
who sees this heart
and smiles

Who hears this heart
in the storm of a house that she once mentioned who hears this heart
and beats around her

We live our lives upon the margin
giving gifts away and wanting more–

Who holds this heart
in the presence of a darkness she must fathom
who holds this heart
and is afraid--

c1999 Laura Siersema

Laura Siersema (keyboard)

When I Left Loss

Who Needs This Heart

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

Laura Siersema (piano, vocal)
Eugene Friesen (cello)

Poor Wayfarin' Stranger

9am on the Dot Clock

Fixed in urgency and tumbling on the wink of volumes profferred
I escaped momentarily under suede elbows
inside patches across my eyes
pending interrogation in the shudder of my skin
upright against the dashboard
clock ticking in the dark. 

There is a Silence / Rolling of Time

There is a silence
it rings in the eaves
and brushes at her terrycloth
settling on the countertop
and widening her eyes

Reading her Bible and the flash of carrot hair
reminds her of her mother
those buttons in her hat,
those bracelets she wore

It was no accident they were the opposite
it was not charity, it was the pounding of footsteps
and the rolling of time.

Where do I find the words, on a bus,
in the curves of a woman leaning forward
clutching at her purse,
she’s sinking

This is how I’ve been alive
beneath everything that’s shattered
I taught myself how to breathe

This is how I experiment
in the distance between me and you
I see better, what is vital–
where are the churches?

It was no accident they were the opposite
it was not charity, it was the pounding of footsteps
and the rolling of time.

I am standing, I am located
I’m going to the colonnade

It was no accident they were the opposite
it was not charity, it was the pounding of footsteps.

c2003 Laura Siersema
Laura Siersema (piano, vocal)
Steve Wilkes (percussion)


9am On the Dot Clock / There is a Silence / Rolling of Time

9am on the Dot Clock/There Is

"A touch Celtic, a touch new age, she cannot be categorized, a passion rare in folk music today."   WCUW,Worcester

Laura's second album, released 2003, features spoken word related to songs.  Produced by Laura Siersema and Doug Hammer.  Featuring Steve Wilkes (Blue Man Group) on percussion and Eugene Friesen (Paul Winter Consort) on cello.   

"500 Miles" by Hedy West.

Will I Marry / 500 Miles

Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse with Wim Auer (fretless bass) and Billy Klock (drums).

First half of a piano suite written for my newborn kittens, all of whom needed very special care.

Recorded and engineered by Grammy winner Norman Blain.  Mastered by Aaryn Blain.

Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse

Little Moon (and Drew) (Live)

Little Moon (and Drew)  (Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse)

Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse with Wim Auer (fretless bass) and Billy Klock (drums).  

Recorded and engineered by Grammy winner Norman Blain.  Mastered by Aaryn Blain.

Stars (Little Bear) (Live)

Stars (Little Bear)   (Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse)

Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse with Wim Auer (fretless bass) and Billy Klock (drums).

Recorded and engineered by Grammy winner Norman Blain.

O Sinner Man (Live)

O Sinner Man (Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse)

Prelude

Prelude (Laura Siersema Trio Live at 1794 Meetinghouse)

“Dreamy, visionary, cutting edge.”  Holly Hopple, Herndon Festival

“A few can carry us beyond….by indenting our souls, effecting change in the soul whereby the mood is retained and perhaps never lost…your music has the power to do just this! You have given a ‘storehouse’ for our spirit’s garden. Places in greatest need of nourishment are thereby fulfilled.” Vincent Tripi, haiku poet

“While the voice gives "Talon of the Blackwater" its beauty, her writing is what gives it depth.”     Donnie Moorhouse, The Republican

“We LOVE your music.” Kelley & Cyrus, Yurt Radio, Hampshire College

“Siersema brings the power of her crystalline voice and compositional skills to bear on her third release…understated accompaniments are at times brilliant…Siersema takes the traditional spiritual ‘Wade in the Water’ and makes it her own with a ghostly arrangement reminiscent of Daniel Lanois’s work…the excellent 14-minute ‘Along the Fenway’ features cellist Eugene Friesen and is strikingly beautiful.” Progression, The Quarterly Journal of Progressive Music

"Laura's poems lend a riveting, personal touch to the record, and at times cut so deep the hair on the listener’s skin goes on end.”  Josh Shear, Reminder Publications

“Her voice beckons mercilessly to the physical world like the bodiless spirit that haunts the mansion on a faraway hill.  Wanderers beware…”  Independent Songwriter Magazine Pick of the Month

“Experimental, serene and surreal…” Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena

“Siersema has power in her words…Some of the songs begin with her reading poetry, and let me tell you, I could sit enraptured listening to a full album of her simply doing this…it sets up the tunes in a fashion that I’ve never quite experienced before. ”  Mish Mash Indie Music Reviews

“Folk fans should take note, as well as those that like classical music, and Tori Amos.”           Suzie Siegel, Tampa Tribune

“She sings like an angel.”  Gary Lee, Mt. Wachusett Folk Cafe

“A touch Celtic, a touch New Age, she is uncategorizable, a passion rare in folk music today.”  John Henry, WCUW, Worcester

“Laura is an acoustic craftsman, a wordsmith…with the soul and lyrics of a true poet…” Indie-Music Reviews

“STUNNING!!!”  David Weide, KUNV, Las Vegas

“…they should make movies out of music like this.”  Holbrook, Jamaica Plain Arts News

My current project:  "Aberfan (7 pianos, voice and tools of rescue)"  https://laurasiersema.com

Laura Siersema

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