En Paradiso is a still, yet emotionally-charged work that is written in celebration of the life of my Yaya, Georgia Anasis, upon her passing last fall. The text is taken from my favorite stanza in the Greek Orthodox memorial service:

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments. Give rest, O God, to Your servant, and place her in Paradise where the choirs of the Saints and the righteous, O Lord, will shine as the stars of heaven. To Your departed servant give rest, O Lord, overlooking all her offenses. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As expressed in the text, the main theme of this piece is hope, and an earnest plea for the comfort and rest of the soul of the departed. Because of the source of the text, and its connection to my grandmother’s faith, much of the musical material is inspired and derived from Orthodoxy, whether that be directly from the musical tradition of Byzantine chant, through aesthetic principles in Greek iconography, or, more abstractly, by the teachings, beliefs, and religious practices of the Greek Orthodox Church. As such, there is a certain theology in the way that the musical elements interact with and amplify this specific text, and more broadly, the cultural understanding of death in which the text operates.

The destabilization of tonal center – achieved by a series of tonal shifts, and further enhanced by denying the bass the root of each chord – represents the struggle of the soul as it tries to find its way to Paradise, ultimately reaching a moment of climactic clarity when the soul “[shines] as the stars of heaven.” Throughout the piece, a disjoint oscillating figure, comprised of two configurations of the same chord, is used to provide a sense of comfort, as if the soul of the departed is being gently rocked back-and-forth to their final rest, accompanied by a tender lullaby sung by “the choirs of the Saints.”

Thank you to Jamison Stevens for conducting this wonderful ensemble.

Daniela Gonzalez and Anna Caplan, soprano
Bailey Sako and Jillian Axel, alto
Maddie Schmid and Timothy Cunningham, tenor
Anthony Lauro and Connor Licharz, bass

Image taken from Greek City Times: https://greekcitytimes.com/2016/12/07/saint-sophia-greek-orthodox-cathedral-in-la/

En Paradiso

Here is a playlist of the music I wrote for Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Margaret Stoops in March of 2021.

Bye. Don't blow your face off.

Don't let me drift away again. I might not make it back.

You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen. I know.

It's Tuesday. That was always your favorite day.

So awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

Then leave! Get out of here, fucking go!

Does it hurt? A little.

The Trisagion, or “Thrice Holy,” is a hymn that is a part of the opening prayer for many Orthodox services. As such, I chose to set this powerful text with a lively, and triumphant tone, with lots of open intervals to give it a chant-like feel. As the piece continues, the sparse harmonies of the opening give way to lush, compact extended chords, reflecting on a more personal interpretation of the text. The more complex harmonic language affirmatively settles in a major tonality as the choir sings “Holy Immortal,” representing triumph over death.

Performance by Inversion Da Capo on January 21, 2023.

Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

Δόξα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages Amen.

Ayios o Theos

Eternal was written for the Sunset Chamberfest Young Composers Workshop in 2018. The text is taken from a traditional hymn chanted in the Greek Orthodox Memorial Service.

Eonia aftou I mnimi.
Eternal be his memory.

Andrea Zomorodian, Soprano
Max Tan, Viola
Eric Byers, Cello

Eternal

This is the first piece of mine that I wrote and had performed while in college. Thank you to Gilbert Camacho for his stellar performance!

Larghetto For Solo Oboe

This is the music I wrote for a short film, in collaboration with a film class at the University of Redlands. A huge thank you is extended to the incredible performers for their diligence and musicality.

Flute - Michelle Chavez
Violin - Megan Susuico-Scott, Jace Elliott, Cecilia Cole
Cello - Jacob Quijada
Percussion - Zachary Salmeron, Jonathan Kretchmer

Radiance

Regression

Skirmish

Metamorphosis

Introduction and Rapture

Pater Imon sung by the University of Redlands Chapel Singers, conducted by Dr. Nicholle Andrews.

Text: The Lord's Prayer in Greek

Pater Imon

Memory Project

I wrote Spinthires the beginning of this year for Lindsey Eastham from un/pitched. Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled because of the pandemic, so here is a recording from the rehearsal.

Spinthires

Here is a short solo piano piece I wrote for my composition class' "Harmony by Design" project.

Harmony by Design

Poem by Dora Ridgeway, Music by Timothy Cunningham, Performed by Alexia Benson.

Dora Ridgeway was the winner of a Halloween Poetry Competition I hosted this year! I had an absolute blast this Halloween producing the score to this incredible poem. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, and congratulations Dora!

Pavement

B.M. Composition, University of Redlands ('22)

Timothy Cunningham

Popular tracks