Street View Sketches is a collection of several short, standalone pieces—each meant to evoke a place in the world that is significant to me. Sometimes these pieces tell stories, other times they operate in more general terms. There are two things every piece shares in common, however:
  The first is that, rather than just describing a location, each piece attempts to create a sonic impression of actually experiencing it. This might include emulating the general atmosphere of a place, or the sounds one hears while there, or even the kind of mindset one might be in when visiting. It is for this reason that I refer to these pieces as "sketches", as it gives the listener a taste of these elements, just like a sketch might.
  The second commonality between each piece (or "sketch", as it were) is that every featured location can be found on Google Street View—whether it be a terrifyingly tiny shoulder of a highway, clinging to the precipice of a cliff in Yosemite Valley, or a plain, nondescript bridge over a creek in Kelowna, British Columbia. Every one of these locations can be reduced to GPS coordinates on a search engine navigation app, and a 360 degree snapshot taken from a moving vehicle. In fact, I have chosen to include GPS coordinates in the titles of every piece, so that anyone reading them can look up these "snapshots" for themselves.
  Similar to the "sketches" and "impressions" I previously described, the internet is full of snapshots—soundbites—things that only give a taste of real, authentic experiences. Many see this as part of a dangerous disconnect from reality that is becoming alarmingly more prevalent in society. While I sympathize with these concerns, I wonder whether they could be mitigated if we just remained mindful of what these snapshots and soundbites really are: Impressions—glimpses of things we might someday see or do, or fond memories of things that once were.

Performed by cLoud Collective, December 5th, 2021.
Mark Menzies - Violin
Justin DeHart - Percussion
Reuben de Lautour - Piano

Composed by Nicholas Denton Protsack.

Street View Sketches - The Ocean, The Dunes, And The Great Highway

We welcome your feedback!

Composed, produced & performed by Srouly Frank

Ups and downs

Beneath a marbled sky, the erg sprawls endlessly, its countless dunes molded by eons of relentless winds. They are linear dunes, long and snake-like, some reaching hundreds of kilometers in length. They slither across the landscape alongside one another—sometimes running perfectly parallel, sometimes converging, and sometimes branching off into patterns resembling river estuaries. It is a landscape in motion, appearing like a rolling sea to one who is patient enough to deliberately observe. Sometimes, when the sand flows in the exact right way, it causes a mass-vibration to occur, and a haunting, rich tone hums across the erg.
In the distance, the skies suddenly darken. The already relentless winds begin to roar furiously, bringing forth massive eddies of airborne sand. Above this dusty veil the blackened skies advance. Lightning streaks across the sky, rending it open into a storm the likes of which is seen here perhaps once or twice a century. Thunder crackles. Hailstones the size of fists pummel the dunes. It is an all-encompassing vortex of sand, ice, and blackened atmosphere. A shriek seems to emanate from
the very earth.
Yet, just as quickly as it appeared, the storm recedes, and the roaring winds that brought it forth usher its exit. The clumps
of hail dissolve into the unquenchable sands, and the dune waves resume their slow, deliberate journey across the erg,
humming as they go.

Erg contains a form of graphic music notation where shapes I have traced from actual satellite images of dunes are featured directly in the sheet music. These "dune lines" direct the performers to bend their pitches according to the contours they are shown. This allows the orchestra to very literally "read" the topography of the desert.

Performed by the NZSM Orchestra, October, 2023.

This is a movement from my planned three mvts concert for strings, including solo strings. I have used Noteperformer but for solo violins there is a nice comparison with Aria player, which I find provides a better choice.

Nostalgica (String Orchestra)

Here is my latest piano work.  Hope you enjoy listening.  Thank you.

Morgan Falls

My sincere apologies if you commented on this track before.  I had to delete the entire post because it was not showing up.  For some mysterious reason a few people could see it but in general it was invisible.  Who can understand these mysteries?  So I have given up and am reposting.  

Thank you David Dunham for your unfailing help in mastering my tracks. 
Listen to David's beautiful music here:  @david-dunhamuser589535203

Wallflower

New Release! 18 April: https://gyro.to/WhatWasIMadeFor
4 May Piano Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQDfeangKHc
13 April Newsletter: https://shoutout.wix.com/so/1fOtNcy8q?languageTag=en
Piano accompaniment: @Adam4le
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It has been some time... I have had a jaw procedure and if I do not exercise it, the surgery is in vain. This creates more pain in the jaw and neck and I did not practice my violin for months.

What Was I Made For? was done some time ago. However, events recently changed my ideas on the movie Barbie. While I never considered myself a feminist per se, I encountered recently the difficulty women, especially minority women, face in many fields.. Though I do not consider myself very high, a few men began to abuse, bully, sabotage me in Spotify. This will happen in all fields, but I feel especially vulnerable because it is an art form. Bullying stifles creativity..The point is we should not be treated as property. Double standards because if we stand up for ourselves, we are deemed 'aggressive'. More here: https://www.sharonelainechen.com/news

What Was I Made For?

Realized using Notion and Studio One featuring Kirk Hunter Adaptive Concert Strings with Harmonic Subtones Emotional Strings as First Chairs and Virharmonic Bohemian Cello solo.

24 - 4 Holst - Second Suite I March

Music, much like dialogue, becomes the canvas where the depths of our soul paint their silent struggles. Expressing ourselves feels like navigating a stormy sea; words falter, leaving the heart's wounds unhealed, seeking solace in melodies that resonate with our pain.

Father

I. Eeire
II. Vibrant 
III. Serene
IV. The Machine

By Rebecca Larkin
Alexis Evers, Linda Jenkins, Rebecca Larkin and Savannah Gentry, flute


In Contrast

Savannah Gentry

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