Teatime stories is inspired by my daily tea drinking ritual.

In this piece, I explored the sounds involved in the different stages of tea making.  In the first movement, fill boil, you’ll hear sounds of the kettle filling up, water boiling, the kettle whistling, and sonic images of bubbles forming as water boils and the transformation of water to vapour.

The second movement is a little bit more personal, in that I address my relationship to tea. In a lot of ways, tea has become a source of comfort companionship through this time, regardless of what I was doing or going through, I found myself always having a cup of tea. It almost felt like the tea was watching me instead, watching me go through the chaos and the bliss, really just watching me go through life. 
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Written for members of the Allegra Chamber Orchestra through the 2020 Composer Mentorship Program.

Massive thank you to conductor Janna Sailor and performers Rebecca Whitling, Erin James, Sara Kwok, Rebecca Wenham, Meaghan Williams, Albertina Chan and Katie Rife. Heartiest gratitude to Opus59Films for capturing this, and everyone involved in making this happen!

Full video performance here:
https://youtu.be/L7Cf2PytUIE

Teatime Stories

Recorded from a reading with Del Sol String Quartet in San Francisco, Fall, 2022. 

Dreaming Phoenix is my first string quartet I have composed in 8 years, and it was so exciting to write one again, especially for the incredible Del Sol String Quartet. This piece is an expression of my rebirth, or reawakening, as a composer. The pandemic from 2020 to 2022 took a huge toll on my life and well-being, so this piece is me ‘rising from the ashes’, reconnecting with myself and my imagination. I am deeply influenced by Korean and Indian music and explore rhythm cycles Utmori and Jhaaptal, timbres, and melodic shapes drawn from various traditions. The image and story I am exploring is a beautiful bird emerging from the embers through rays of light filtered through forest trees.
Written for Del Sol String Quartet, Santa Cruz, Fall 2022
Cover Image by J.H. Williams III

Dreaming Phoenix (2022) featuring Del Sol String Quartet

Caroline
I don’t wanna hurt you anymore
Caroline
I keep on replaying the part when 
You said baby loving you is hard

I don’t know
How I could be
So mean
I don’t think
So I say things
I don’t mean

Just don’t tell me your giving up on me
Please

Caroline
I don’t wanna hurt you anymore
Caroline
I keep on replaying the part when 
You said baby loving you is hard

Just don’t tell me you’re giving up 
On me please

Junior Mesa “Caroline”
Written by Reynaldo Peter Mesa, Jr.
Produced by Junior Mesa
Co-Produced by Aidan Spiro
Instruments by Junior Mesa & Aidan Spiro
Strings by Michael J. Flemming
Engineered by Junior Mesa
Recorded at Elysian Park and Nicotine Corndog Studios
Mixed by Aidan Spiro
Mastered by Emerson Mancini, Demifugue Mastering at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood CA


Published by Reynaldo Peter Mesa, Jr. (BMI)


℗ & © 2023 Nice Life Recording Company


Warning: All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

Caroline

Creating new work is an integral component of all the VICO's programming, providing a necessary framework for bringing musicians and composers together to learn from each other, in a uniquely collaborative process. Our bi-annual 2-week Summer Academy provides composers with a unique opportunity to explore writing for intercultural ensembles in an open educational setting, in which VICO musicians, composers and educators provide them with hands on knowledge and guidance. We congratulate the 2023 cohort on the world premiere of their new works, which were performed in concert on July 7, 2023 at The Annex in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

FEATURED MUSICIANS
Janna Sailor - conductor
Ali Razmi - tar
Douglas Hensley - oud
Saina Khaledi - santoor
Sarah Kwok - viola
Jun Rong - erhu
Paul Hung - flute
Liam Hockley - clarinet
Tim Chan - sheng
Meaghan Williams - contrabass
Brian Nesselroad - percussion

PRODUCTION TEAM
Mark Armanini - Artistic Director
Farshid Samandari - Composer-in-Residence / Senior Project Manager
Melanie Thompson - Communications Manager / Administrator / Stage Manager
Mike Brown - Production Manager
Gina Hernandez Sanchez - Marketing & Production Assistant
Levi Pease - Annex Technial Director / Lighting & Sound
Alistair Eagle - Video Recording
Sheldon Zaharko - Sound Recording

SPECIAL THANKS
...to the following funders and community partners for their support of this program:

The Canada Council for the Arts
BC Arts Council
City of Vancouver Cultural Services
Stir Vancouver
Canadian Music Centre - BC Region

Summer Academy Concert: Tentet by Taraneh Foroozan

Summer Academy Concert: Orchid Moon by Michael J. Fleming

Magnus Lindberg - Quintetto Dell'estate

'Orison', three miniatures for string trio. I. Orison - II. Jathis - III- Athar Kurd

The culmination of a collaborative effort between flutist Linda Jenkins and composers from the Oregon Composers Forum. This program features 7 world premieres for flute, piccolo, and alto flute. 

Featuring:
Nicholas Pietromonaco, piano
Hannah Pell, oboe/english horn
Hendrik Mobley, cello
Amrit Gupta, French horn
Samuel Lord Kalcheim, conductor

Breath of Chrysanthemums--Michael Fleming

This recording was made on July 6th, 2018, in the Aasen-Hull Hall.

In a moment of complete spontaneity, Bryce and I decided to improvise at the end of the American Creators Ensemble Concert when our scheduled performance was unexpectedly moved to another program.

A few days prior, I met Bryce in rehearsals for Benjamin Webster's "Mosaics." It took little time together to know Bryce was an incredible violinist, and I am honored that he had trust in me for us to play as a duo for the first time - improvising - in front of an audience.

No perimeters were set for this improvisation. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryce Caster, violin
Kacee Dugas, cello

Improvisation (Bryce Caster & Kacee Dugas)

Exhibited at Natalie L. Haslam Center at the University of Tennessee
Nief Norf Summer Festival 2019
Snippet recorded during exhibition 2019
For video go to: https://www.daniel-fawcett.com/watch

"Anamnesis is an ambient installation consisting of a 2 generative Max chordal patches, 1 fixed audio bass track and 2 wire based controllers built from recycled game controllers on wooden frames. Over a continuous bass track the 2 generative patches will play a repeating harmonic figures that overlap with one another. Changes in these figures can occur by pulling on the various strands of wire connected to the installation. Reflective in nature, this work deals with memory and renewal. For this reason, the work makes use of only recycled materials for both the physical components and the audio sources."

Anamnesis (Snippet) (gesture control installation, electronics) [2019]

Composer | Musician | Educator
Composer of Contemporary Art Music inspired by the philosophies and cultures of our beautiful world. 
Plays and collaborates with the violin, piano, hammered dulcimer, accordion, steel-tongue drum and hulusi.
Aspiring educator of music from many corners of our musical and expressive world. 
Chapman University BM Music Composition '16
University of Oregon MM Music Composition '19
UC Santa Cruz DMA Music Composition '27

Dreaming Phoenix (2022) featuring Del Sol String Quartet

Michael J. Fleming

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