"Failing is something queers do and have always done exceptionally well; for queers failure can be a style... or a way of life... and it can stand in contrast to the grim scenarios of success that depend upon 'trying and trying again.' In fact, if success requires so much effort, then maybe failure is easier in the long run and offers different rewards." -Judith Halberstam, Queer Art of Failure

Premiered April 2024 at the Ann E. Pitzer Center at the University of California, Davis by Nick May as part of the I Exist Project.

jouissance, or learning to let go

The music of composer Trey Makler weaves together nostalgic memories, queer experiences, and utopian visions.  His musical narratives are concerned with time and space, desire, and transformation. Musical obstacles are a recurring feature of his music, and function as both obstructions to and features of the performance situation. 

Trey has received performances and commissions from Alarm Will Sound, Berlin PianoPercussion, Camellia Symphony, Empyrean Ensemble, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, saxophonist Nick May and the I Exist Project, The Juilliard Orchestra, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Magella Herrera Quartet, Mizzou New Music Initiative, New York Choreographic Institute, NEO Sound Orchestra, PinkNoise, The University of Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera Workshop, and Vallejo Symphony, among others. Upcoming projects include an immersive chamber opera, Waiting Rooms, which premieres May 2024 at the Sacramento Gender Health Center.

Trey is a PhD candidate in Music Composition and Theory at the University of California, Davis. He holds degrees from The Juilliard School (MM ‘19) and the University of Missouri (BM ‘17).

jouissance, or learning to let go

Trey Anthony Makler