Kyle Bruckmann  |  oboe
Mckenzie Lagenfeld  |  vibraphone
Jennifer Ellis  |  harp

This piece is a setting of Dorraine Laux's 2017 poem "Under Stars." The poem is not sung in my setting, however—it is  used as a dramatic guide, for both me as a composer and (hopefully) for the performers. I originally intended to set Ray Bradbury's 1947 short story "I See You Never" based on its title alone, but its words failed to sufficiently inspire. I found that title, however, to be poignant, especially in the quarantines of 2020-21 that have kept me physically very far from people I love. So I kept it.

The idea of setting an unsung text comes from the instrumental jazz tradition of playing standards. A pianist, for instance, might internalize the lyrics of a song and communicate them not through singing, but through playing.  —D.G.

Painting: Kay Sage, "On The Contrary" (1952)

I See You Never (2021) for oboe, vibraphone, and harp

Spencer Krug - Red Dress

Regularly Scheduled Programming

Tintoretto, It's For You

Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread

Live recording by the New Conductors Orchestra, Eric Juneau, conductor. 11 February 2023, New York City. 

Winner of the 2019 UC Davis Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition. Premiered 1 June 2019, Christian Baldini, conductor.

Cathedral Grove (2019) for orchestra

recorded by Ying Quartet and Xavier Foley at the University of Maryland 
Robin Scott, violin
Janet Ying, violin
Phillip Ying, viola
David Ying, cello
Xavier Foley, bass

Folded Strata (2024) for string quintet

Navigating the Way traces the emergence and expansion of the early Christian communities through a spatialized, data-driven lens. Derived from historical records of Paul’s journeys, this movement transforms the geographic spread of the early church into a sonic cartography. The “choir of churches” maps the growth of these communities city by city, revealing patterns of connection, distance, and momentum. 
Events within the narrative, moments of conflict, angry crowds, miracles, and Paul's sermons, appear as carefully curated samples woven into the foreground. They function as symbolic markers rather than literal illustrations, allowing listeners to interpret each occurrence as either stabilizing or destabilizing, depending on its context within the unfolding map. This symbolic layer not only gives the audience the feeling of what his travels through Acts felt like proportionally, but also offers the composer's commentary on the adventure.

Navigating the Way (stereo)

Villancico De Navidad - Barrios

Siento que concentrarme en el sonido de las cuerdas abiertas de mi cello me dejan meditar, le hace bien a mi y a él. Espero que esto que hice les ayude pausar a ustedes también.

Folded Strata (2024) for string quintet

Sean Klink, composer