I Won't Be Afraid

Benedictus for Strings

Duet for Guitar and Violin, Mvt II. - Labyrinthine

This piece is a custom-built Max/MSP application to control the acoustic Utopa and Sauer organs in the Orgelpark, Amsterdam, NL (https://www.orgelpark.nl/en/Instrumenten/Our-Instruments). Performed live by Isaac Barzso, November 26, 2022.

and then nothing turned itself inside-out (live) || Orgelpark Hyperorgan

Premiered on November 6th, 2023 by the University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale under the direction of Dr. Kent Hatteberg.

Program Notes: In February 2022 during the onset of the war in Ukraine, I was in Raleigh, North Carolina at a regional American Choral Directors Association convention. In addition to my shock at what the world was witnessing, I’d never felt more powerless in my desire to be part of rectifying the wrongs of the world and manifesting a future for humanity worth living in. Now, over a year and a half later, as Ukraine continues to fight for its survival as a democratic nation with little end in sight, I feel the world beginning to shrug. When wars grow long, we grow numb to the human toll of every waking hour. This desensitizing only serves Russia’s imperialist ambitions, and if condemnation turns to indifference, Ukraine is as good as gone.

In this poem written in the middle of WWI, Sara Teasdale takes the earth to task for harboring the gall to showcase natural beauty at a time when the war was extracting a cost felt around the world, ultimately claiming over 11 million lives by the time the war officially concluded. Through her poetry, Teasdale sought to deny the world the chance to look away or turn to other distractions. In many ways, I seek to do the same thing with this piece. I resent that the world offers so much to grieve about, but I am firmly grounded in the belief that art’s continual insistence that humanity not look away from what ails it plays an extraordinarily valuable mission in creating a world worth fighting for.

In October of 2022, the University of Louisville Cardinal Singers were participating in a competition in Magdeburg, Germany. Part of the event was a friendship concert with a local boys’ choir in a Magdeburg church. Sharing our music with an international audience was a gift, and after the last piece, I remember thinking that it might’ve been the best choral concert I’d ever been a part of to date. Then, after the concert, a woman holding the hand of a young child walked up to my significant other. She said, in limited English, “I came here from Ukraine six months ago. I had no hope, but you gave me hope.” Never believe for a second that art doesn’t matter. In the grand scheme of the world, art is how we change hearts and remind humanity of the future it is called to create. Whenever I feel numb to the chaos in the world, I think of that woman and her child and remember that what I do makes a difference. May everyone who hears or performs this piece be reminded of their ability and calling to bring about a better world, and may that woman and her son one day be able to return home.

Slava Ukraini,

Benjamin Carter

Spring In War-Time

in honor of Ms. Jeanette Lerman Neubauer's birthday 
premiered April 20, 2016 at the Curtis Institute of Music
jean-michel richer, tenor
gloria ferry-brennan, violin
chen cao, cello

CONUNDRUM
A woman seeks the highest truth.
A light shines, seducing.
Light.  Shining light.
Where is revelation?  
Pure truth.  Pure light.
Come close to see.
The highest truth is without image.
But without image, how can the truth be known?
The light blinds.  The woman fails.
She turns to words for solace.
Words seduce.  
The highest principle is without words.
But if there are no words, how can the principle be known?

Lyrics by Jeanette Lerman

Based on a Zen koan allegedly found on a Buddhist sculpture, quoted in English, and discovered by the author on the Internet.


Conundrum -- tenor + vln + vcl + loop pedal

String Quartet no. 1 - "Vespers" III. Jubilations

KANYE IN MY HEAD

Quarter Past Four (by Avriel and the Sequoias)- Cover

Reverie is a lyrical, contemplative piano solo with a beautiful melody and interesting, chromatic harmonies.

This is a perfect piece to introduce intermediate students to the key of G-flat major because it’s carefully crafted for ease of playing, with the deliberate goal to ensure the player’s success. The hands remain rooted to the G-flat major pentascale position throughout much of the piece. Movements outside the position are minimal and mostly step-wise, making the piece very accessible.

The piece comes with a Getting Started Guide that will help players navigate and practice the piece efficiently.

This is a digital download that comes with a studio license, allowing for unlimited use with students you personally teach.

https://daniel-light.com/product/reverie/

Reverie, by Daniel Light

Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Vocalist, UofL BM ‘23, UofL MM ‘25