The premier of my solo soprano piece, Praise Song.

This song was written as a part of the interdisciplinary project, Singing Verse, at Kent State University. The text comes from the President of Kent State University, Beverly Warren's poem, Praise Song for Kent State.

Soprano: Rosemary Heredos
Violin: Daniela Arias
Cello: Diego Gutierrez
Piano: Spencer Perkins

Praise Song by Spencer G. Perkins

2nd Graduate Recital, Spring 2016, Kent State University

Rautavaara: Six Etudes

Ohi-yo, for Violin, Cello, Piano

Ohi-yo by Spencer G. Perkins, Premier
First Movement, Perhaps a Music Box (Reflections on the winter of 2016)

Violin: Ming Yuan Song
Cello: Vincent Leung
Piano: Spencer Perkins

Ohi-yo: Mov. 1, Perhaps A Music Box (Reflections On The Winter Of 2016)

This piece is an alteration to the common pierrot style including saxophone instead of violin.  The piece was performed on April 10th by the Rote Hund Musik Contemporary Chamber Ensemble at the University of Georgia.

Impulse Dance

This is a small binary piece, which offers many opportunities to showcase various piano techniques. Tiny Monsters is a set of small character pieces, I composed, for the intermediate pianist. The melody is based off of a hymn I stumbled across titled, "The Bells of Hell Go ting-a-ling-a-ling." It was originally this horrible jaunty G-major melody that was just begging to be turned into the grotesque melody the title of the hymn suggests. I hope you enjoy!

Tiny Monsters - Hatchet the Clown

Three Cheers is one of several pieces I wrote in response to my grandfather’s passing. The piece is intended to be a synthesis of a spiritual presence taking the form of porch wind chimes as represented in the piece by vibraphones. Initially, the vibraphones have a lack of synchronization rhythmically and harmonically. This discussion of sorts is mediated by melodic lines in the violin that ultimately fuse the vibraphone textures to quote Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa: “Three cheers for the red, white and blue.” This quote is especially haunting as it is intended to mimic the playing of this historic music on piano by a family member at my grandfather’s funeral. As it represented a goodbye at his memorial service, so too does this quote represent a goodbye in the music. Without resolving as the music does in Stars in Stripes Forever, the vibraphones fall out of synchronization and meet by chance on a final peaceful harmony.

Three Cheers (In Memoriam)

Aniki

My name is John Sessions and I created this soundcloud profile to showcase recordings of my original compositions. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Composition from Texas State University under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Ippolito and Dr. Thomas Clark. Please feel free to take a listen and reach out to me if you'd like to talk about anything you hear. 

Tiny Monsters - Hatchet the Clown

John Sessions

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