for SATB choir, mixed chamber ensemble, and pre-recorded audio (2019)
commissioned and performed by Nashville in Harmony and Intersection, Nashville, TN

inspired by the members of Nashville in Harmony who shared their stories and perspectives on the topic of gender

composed by TJ Cole
pre-recorded audio includes stories provided by members of Nashville in Harmony, recorded and produced by TJ Cole
libretto by Aiv Rubino and TJ Cole

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
V. Sheltering

Speak
Listen
Shelter
Home

Shelter comes from space that's given
Home is more than just a haven
Speak with gentle understanding
Listen to me patiently

Speak gently
Speak gently, with me
Speak words given freely
Listen, patiently
Listen, patience, listen to me
With mind and heart, please listen to me
Shelter fully
Shelter fully, shelter within me
Fully give, shelter all within me
Home
More is in me

Home
Speak
Listen

More is in me
Home is with me
Find within me

Speak gently, softly, to me, with me
Listen, patience, more is in me
Shelter, fully, what you find within me

Home is with me
Find within me
Speaking gently
Listen to me
Shelter fully
Love is freeing

Speak
Listen

Those Moments - V. Sheltering

Performed by Timotheos Petrin, cello

Commissioned by One Book One Philadelphia in honor of "The Yellow Birds" by Kevin Powers

Prayer

Spectre of the Spheres

in somnis - for violin and orchestra (2014)
Anastasia Agapova, violin; Kensho Watanabe, conductor; Curtis Symphony Orchestra

in somnis - for violin and orchestra

Performed by Sarah Shafer (soprano), Soovin Kim (violin), Steven Laraia (viola), and Emily Taubl (cello) at the 2014 Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont.

Poem by Chelsea Komschlies:

Narrow are the broken spines who told of this.
Few the ink-blots, dust, and dank, and paper-thin.
Empty bone-box of the one who cared of this,
Now rattled on the glass-white shore of must and sin.

Lovely are the tiny souls we made for this
Evanescent tendrils of the shiv’ring swans, which,
Caked with chalky powder from the falling mists
of Wisdom, wonder why it is that warmth is gone.

Fragile willows stoop to steal a raspy kiss
from silent flutt’ring lashes thread and bone made dull.
Glass beneath is clouded through with loneliness
And cries the tears that all the world finds beautiful.

About the Piece: 

This piece is about fascination with pain as a thing of beauty. The poem was inspired by the peculiar yet popular trend of young women seeking online recognition and approval by objectifying themselves as frail, arcane, faceless, skeletal, suffering, doll-like creatures in photographic self-portraits. The poem comments on this occurrence while simultaneously conjuring the sorts of images associated with these portraits. 

This work, like many of my compositions, is inspired by the aesthetic of the Steampunk genre and of filmmaker Tim Burton.

* * * * * * * * 

This painting by Italian artist Francesco Balsamo (http://www.francescobalsamo.it/site.php?pag=francesco&tip=page) originally inspired me to write the poem.

I created a Pinterest board as further visual inspiration as I composed, which you can see here: http://www.pinterest.com/ckomschlies/inspiration-03/

Narrow Are the Broken Spines

Cabrillo Festival Orchestra
Francisco Valero-Terribas, conducting


Excerpt from "Green Go To Me"

One of hopefully many more.

Born Lau, Viola
George Fu, Piano

Reflections No. 1 -- viola + piano

Shannon Lee, violin
Rimbo Wong, viola
Jean Kim, cello

Street Haunting Mvt. III: A question is asked which is

Curtis Symphony Orchestra
Conner Covington, conductor

April 2, 2016

Argo

Interlu...

Exoplanet Exploration

My name is TJ Cole (they/them). I'm a composer and producer. I love music and sounds and art among other things.

Those Moments - V. Sheltering

TJ Cole

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