"sift" takes its title from a line in a Kay Ryan poem, in which she describes an effort as: “...the sift left of resolve strained too long.” The piece intends to represent an exhaustion, a drawing-up of energy, a struggle to accomplish something, and a final and inevitable collapse.
                   - Daniel T. Lewis

"sift" (2014) by Daniel T. Lewis

"-8.34" was commissioned by Transient Canvas, the duo of marimbist Matt Sharrock and clarinetist Amy Advocat. This piece was my first foray into algorithmic composition. The basis for the piece was the equation of time, used to calculate the difference between mean solar time (time as displayed by a watch) and apparent solar time (the sun's position in the sky). After completing the equation using a specific date, I made two graphs: a simple line graph that plots minutes, seconds, and months, and an analemma that plotted the declination of the sun against the time correction in minutes. I plotted my date on these graphs and found the fundamenal pitch to be a concert A, recurring thirteen times along the line. This is refleted in the thirteen-note tone row, with subsequent pitches determined by a Fibonacci sequence. The pitch spacing as indicated by the graphs informs the rhythmic content. After solving the equation, I was able to find that the time difference for my chosen day and year was 8.34 minutes, meaning that the apparent solar time was 8.34 minutes behind the mean solar time.

             - Brenna Noonan

"-8.34" (2012-13) by Brenna Noonan

Empowered was commissioned by Transient Canvas for their 2014-2015 concert season. The title refers to the zipline course at Empower Leadership Sports & Adventure Center, located in my hometown, Middletown, CT. From the company’s website, “We endeavor to EMPOWER you to take a leap of faith so that you can achieve things that may at first seem impossible.” The activities at Empower include careening through the treetops on multiple ziplines, crossing Indiana Jones style bridges, a cargo net and a tight wire. When completing the course, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment, having overcome my initial anxieties.

 In this piece, the music does not necessarily refer to any specific event at Empower, but rather the variety of emotional and psychological states one may undergo - from anxiety to exuberance to self-reflection to self-satisfaction - while completing the course, or on a broader scope, any challenge that one may encounter and overcome. The music is energetic, often with a driving pulse, sometimes hesitant, sometimes reflective and ends with a quasi-ragtime romp.

            - Matt Jaskot


"Empowered" (2014) by Matthew Jaskot

“Vestibule III,” composed in late 2013, is one of a series of short, related duos that seem to exist in a state of perpetual transition between different textural and stylistic worlds.  Sometimes the two instruments in each piece collaborate and almost merge into a single entity, but at other times they become more confrontational.  In this duo, aggressive driving material forms a frame for a chain of interrelated yet strongly contrasting ideas, some of which verge on lyrical tenderness. The music is dedicated to the duo Transient Canvas, whose remarkable virtuosity, sensitivity and versatility were extremely inspirational. The title refers to the fact that this series of compositions explores musical ideas that are self-contained but are also part of a much larger project (for chamber orchestra) which is currently in progress, and they are thus both “entryways” into what will soon be a much larger musical “chamber.”  

- Curtis Hughes

This is a live performance from the Goat Farm Arts Center in Atlanta, GA on August 23, 2014. This concert was sponsored by Chamber Cartel.


"Vestibule III" (2013) by Curtis Hughes

This is the recording from the world premiere of Joseph Colombo's "The Private Works of Puncher & Wattmann" (2015) for bass clarinet & marimba. Written for Transient Canvas (Amy Advocat, bass clarinet & Matt Sharrock, marimba) 

Premiered August 15, 2015 at the Center for New Music in San Francisco, CA.

The Private Works of Puncher & Wattmann (2015) by Joseph M. Colombo

Adam Roberts "Nostalgia Variations" written for Transient Canvas (Amy Advocat & Matt Sharrock). This recording is a live performance at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music on November 14, 2015.

Nostalgia Variations (2015) by Adam Roberts

David Ibbett' "Branches" for bass clarinet, marimba, and electronics written for Transient Canvas (Amy Advocat & Matt Sharrock). This piece melds contemporary classical music with electronic dance music in a stunning way. Recording from a live performance at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music on November 14, 2015.

Branches (2015) by David Ibbett

Performed by Transient Canvas at The Music Mansion in Providence, RI on March 3, 2017. For more information visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/koh-very-specifically-vague

\very/ specifically vague (2017) by Emily Koh

Performed by Transient Canvas at Third Life Studios, Somerville, MA on March 4, 2017. For more information visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/lubkowski-right-now.

Right now, in a second (2015) by Stefanie Lubkowski

Performed by Transient Canvas at The Music Mansion, Providence, RI on March 3, 2017. For more information visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/fefferman-hyggelig

Music Mansion 3/3/17

Hyggelig (2017) by Lainie Fefferman

Performed by Transient Canvas at The Music Mansion, Providence, RI on March 3, 2017. For more information, visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/ingram-cold.

Cold Column, Calving (2016) by Clifton Ingram

Performed by Transient Canvas at Kent State University on November 6, 2016. For more information visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/coll-caldera

Caldera (2016) by David Coll

Performed by Transient Canvas at Third Life Studios, Somerville, MA on March 4, 2017. For more information visit http://www.transientcanvas.com/van-zandt-lane-exergy

EQ 3/4/17

Exergy Bubblebath (2015) by Peter Van Zandt Lane

Praised by the Boston Globe as "superb", Amy Advocat and Matt Sharrock have been blazing their own trail as the bass clarinet/marimba duo Transient Canvas since 2011. In that time they have premiered over 80 works and performed across the United States and Europe. They have been presented by the Alba Music Festival (Alba, Italy), SoundNOW Festival (Atlanta, GA),  New Music Gathering (San Francisco, CA), New Music at the Short North Stage (Columbus, OH), and the Boston New Music Festival (Boston, MA), among others. Additionally, they have held residencies with the composition departments at Harvard, Northeastern, Brandeis, Otterbein, and Tufts Universities, the University of Georgia, the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Their debut album Sift is available on New Focus Recordings.

Transient Canvas proudly endorses Selmer clarinets and Marimba One marimbas and mallets.

For more information, visit www.transientcanvas.com.

Transient Canvas

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