Written fall of 2016.

Text: 
Hoarded hopes flew away from me.
Wandering through life crying softly, gently, for help. 
Unsure where I'm going, I'm lost at sea. 
Drifting aimlessly, absorbed by the blue.
I'm lost. 

Lost

i. the menu
ii. pool
iii. host

This piece serves as an illustration of a possible outcome of entertaining the wild. 
"It’s best to resist the urge to pet and hold them." -The National Park Service

This was performed on the March 4th, 2018 Composition Showcase by Shusanik Hovakimyan.

USC Composition

Three Movements for Solo Piano

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8GEQbgp8QE

This piece was written in collaboration with the Kaufman sophomore choreographers. I commissioned the text from Kadija Moulton and had six dear friends sing for me (Mary Pettygrove, Clara Valenzuela, Maura Tuffy, Haochen Wang, and Da'Jon James).

"They say bad things come in
threes
Strange triplets 
bring us to our knees
Searching for ways to cope
when we lose count
lose track
lose hope

They say what I don’t want to
hear
Stomachs turn
part acid, part fear
When sticks and stones
become bombs and drones
words will never hurt me

Cryptic,
Cryptic,
Post apocalyptic
We each take turns waiting
Twin heartbeats abating 
Until all that we’ll ever see
is just you and me

counting in threes."
-Kadija Moulton (2018)

In Three

Written for the 2018 USC sophomore showcase for clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, and piano.

MORF

This piece was written for two voices, cello, and live electronics & performed in the spring of 2018 for the 2018 USC Electro-acoustic Showcase.

This is a piece that was inspired by Erik Satie’s Sea Bathing miniature in his collection titled 
Sports et Divertissements. The piece itself was not the source of inspiration, merely the activity
in itself. Specifically, a good friend and I have grown an affinity to swimming in the ocean after 
riding our bikes along the shore, an activity that is accompanied with full hearts and joyous singing. 
This piece, an evocation of a siren’s call, serves as an homage to our favorite sea-time activities.

Sea Bathing

11.04.2018 USC Composition Showcase
Performed by: Sarah Koo, Clara Valenzuela, Lucy McKnight, Maura Tuffy, Kenny Regan, Nathan Remillard, Lance Azusada, Julian Saadeh

This piece was initially inspired by the events surrounding America’s political climate in 2016 and the juxtaposing notion that a new beginning should bring hope and peace. I decided to explore the deconstruction of the common phrase ‘and at last, peace’ and use my general jaded attitude towards the concept of peace to fuel the form. This piece took on a whole new perspective and meaning on October 1st, 2017 in regards to the events that took place in Las Vegas. At that point, completely heartbroken and disgusted, I questioned the existence of peace and whether or not it was an attainable reality or just a naïve aspiration. Many other worldly events contributed to the shaping of this piece however the question always remained the same: does peace exist?

and at last, peace

Text extrapolated from the United States of America's Bill of Rights. Additional text comes from various quotes from immigrants detailing their experience of assimilating into American culture. 

Commissioned by Laurie Sefton for Clairobscur Dance Company's Spring work: Imminent Drift. 

This is the first iteration of the work. This piece will eventually manifest itself as a live vocal sextet.
*Victoria Vasta singing & Lance Azusada helpin' out with the low notes*



The Bill: 
Amendment 1: Make no law respecting. Prohibit the free exercise of speech and of grievances. 
Amendment 2: Being necessary, the right of the people shall be infringed. 
Amendment 3: No time of peace. Consent of war, prescribed by law. 
Amendment 4: Unreasonable search and seizures, no warrants. Persons to be seized.
Amendment 5: Deprive of life, liberty, or property with just compensation. 
Amendment 6: All accused shall be committed. 
Amendment 7: The right of trial by jury shall be reexamined. 
Amendment 8: Cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 
Amendment 9: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall be construed to deny or disparage other retained by the people. 
Amendment 10: The power is delegated to the United States, not the people.

Assimilation <take 1> - opera scene

Performed by Hila Plitmann & Mak Grgic for a USC Thornton School of Music Composition reading session. 

Original Text:

Beautiful being, I think it sounds lonely loving outwards.
Unnoticed. Spent. Unconventional. Deprived of the beauty of this life’s offerings. 
An old worn-out horse.
Beautiful being, remain strong amongst the invalids for, fear not, everything will end.  
Invalid now but soon it will end. 
Please remember, this will all end. 
It will end. 
I promise.

USC Composition Department

Bitter Jade

A reading of my new and upcoming orchestra piece by the USC Thornton School of Music's New Music Orchestra in the spring of 2019.

The Menu - (orchestra READING)

DIVE INTO THE META WITH ME: 
Welcome to an electronic counterpoint of one of my first counterpoint assignments ever.

Kyrie NOW

Version for Soprano: Julia Gershkoff
Performed on Zoom during the COVID spring of 2020. 
Video visuals by Victoria Vasta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfw5NqGIsIU&t
Poem by Victoria Kornick (2020)


Each Spring, I Find a Red Dog
Before the rain
Before the dog ran
Before the road ended
I saw my face
I saw the dog, I saw him running
I saw the cars, and the girl
I saw the day, red, in the girl’s face
Under the dark sky
And the low branches
And the branchless sky
When it started, when it flooded
When the blue
Became a mountain
Became a road
Became a dog running
Became a face, an endless line of faces
Of the people I loved
The ones buried in the road
The dog—it was a red dog—
It was a long sky
And it was my face
And a red road, the dog in it running
And the girl running, and leaving
Behind her faces, her endless, branching faces

Each Spring, I Find a Red Dog

written for amplified mixed ensemble, processed voice, & live
electronics

voice: Victoria Vasta
saxophone: Maia Thomas
strings: Mivos Quartet
percussion: Matt Gold
electronics: Victoria Vasta

Benny Blue DEMO Snippets

written for USC's 2020 NOW Collaboration Project

soprano, mezzo soprano, piano, electronics, & composition: Victoria Vasta

help US - opera scene DEMO

USC 2020 BM Music Composition
Composer ll Pianist ll Vocalist

Victoria Vasta (b.1998) is a Russian-American LA-based composer, pianist, and vocalist. Victoria grew up as a classical pianist (attended the Orange County School of the Arts in the Pianists Program under Sarkis Baltaian), only discovering composition in her late high school years. She began attending USC in the fall of 2016 in the Thornton School of Music (BM Music Composition). Victoria studied (BM Music Composition 2020) composition with Nina Young, Donald Crockett, Ted Hearne, Andrew Norman, Sean Friar, and Veronika Krausas. Victoria has worked on multiple different collaborative projects, most recently with another composer, poet, live electronics, vocalists, and choreographers.

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCblKBJUw3pZRAkMubIcB4hQ?view_as=subscriber
instagram: @victoriavastamusic
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriavastamusic/?ref=bookmarks
vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user116290844

*also, finally found a place where I can display my love for photography*

Victoria Vasta

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