Fanfare for Brass Sextet

Alma - Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread 2017)

House of Woodcock - Jonny Greenwood (Phantom Thread 2017)

Piano Prelude in a minor

Piano Prelude in e minor

Stage Four (2025)

Written for and Premiered by the Yunqi Saxophone Quartet at The Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

This piece is Dedicated to Claudette Dussol LaSorsa Mancino.

Yunqi Quartet
Hengyuan Zhang, Soprano Saxophone
Daihua Song, Alto Saxophone
Qianyu Lin, Tenor Saxophone
Chance Stine, Baritone Saxophone

Recorded in Leith Symington Griswold Concert Hall on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

Program Notes:

Stage Four is divided into 4 continuous sections flowing from one to another:

Oblivion - Awareness - Pain - Grief.

In the beginning of last year, my grandmother informed me that she was diagnosed with lung cancer and decided not to pursue treatment. As a regular cigarette smoker for almost half a decade, I decided to end the nasty habit, and gave myself a 3 month window to quit. As of April 1st, 2024, I was officially free. After a month of quitting, I realized how much better I felt, and was shocked with how my body suffered. I was reminded of this moment when I started writing the piece. It made me aware of how careless I was to the consequences that were potentially ahead. It was decided right there that the opening section of this work would be described as oblivion. The opening section establishes a musical atmosphere evoking the act of smoking a cigarette. A variety of techniques are employed to convey the act of flicking a lighter. The second section is awareness. In this section, I wanted to create elements of shock, hysteria, depression, and foreshadows of pain.

I thought about how she reacted when hearing this news. It also made me think about how much of a toll it took on her having to break the news to everybody she cared for.. The third section is pain. This was obviously the most difficult section to write. I loathe thinking about the end of my time with my grandmother as she is still alive. My idea was to make this sound like a plea or bargaining. This plea is used to end the pain and suffering in any way possible. The section ends shortly
on a flatline.

The final stage of this piece is grief. I wanted to make this section a sequence of grievances from friends and family. The thematic tuplet runs are memories that my grandma and I have shared throughout the years. I believed it was most fitting to create an environment of relief, calmness, and peace for this ending.

I love you, Nana

Stage Four (for Saxophone Quartet)

I Don't Want To Lose You (2025)
Commissioned by the Longy Divergent Studio
Written for and Premiered by loadbang

This was by far the most challenging piece I’ve ever had to write. It was the most challenging because I never thought I would be able to overcome or write about such a thing.

Being close to 400 pounds last March, my father told me about the dream he had, which consisted of him burying me due to my health. He closed with, “I Don’t Want to Lose You,” and it was very possible that he could’ve. Since April of last year, I have lost more than 175 Pounds and I thank God every day for the strength to never go back to what I once was.

After hearing Michael Hersch’s work for loadbang in the winter, “That I Wanted to Find You Here,” I was compelled to share my own story. It was also then that I said, “if I ever get the chance to write for loadbang, I will write about my eating disorder.” I was ecstatic about getting into Divergent but was hesitant about writing a piece with this topic as I didn’t want to “put a damper on the festival.” I was quickly told that it doesn’t matter and I needed to write what I was feeling, and I’m so glad that I did so.

As I said on the night of the premiere, “I am indebted to loadbang.” This story could not have been told by another group and I’m so fortunate that loadbang could tell it and they did with such care.

In the piece, there are various techniques in place that disturbingly represents my state of mind at its worst as well as the old behaviors; rummaging through the fridge/cabinets and stuffing my face.

Special Thank you to all of my friends, family, colleagues, and mentors who have encouraged me to live a healthier life as well as encouraging me to speak on this and write about it.

Premiered in Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music of Bard College on Saturday, June 21st, 2025.

Performers
loadbang
Ty Bouque - Baritone Voice
Andy Kozar - Trumpet
William Lang - Trombone
Adrián Sandí - Bass Clarinet

I Don't Want To Lose You (2025)

Golden Hour (2025)
Commissioned by the highSCORE Festival
Written for and Premiered by Diego Maccagnola

Program Note:
This solo piano work celebrates the significance of having a space for relaxation, connection, and creativity. A cherished spot is 'The Long Island Farm Brewery,' just a stone's throw from my family home. This brewery remains a beloved gathering place for my closest friends and family, offering an inviting outdoor space equipped with cornhole and communal tables where laughter and memories are made. It is at these very tables that I have found inspiration and composed much of my music.

The title of this piece, 'Golden Hour,' pays homage to my favorite beer from their brewery which was honored with a gold prize at the 2024 'New York State' Craft Beer Competition. Through this piece, I aim to evoke the warmth and joy of those shared moments, encapsulating the essence of friendship and creativity that flourishes in that special place.

Golden Hour (2025)

Tremors (2025)

Written for and premiered by Airborne Extended in Cohen Davison Theatre at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Program Note:

This piece is about turbulence, musically describing a terrible aviation experience.

Recorded on October 8th, 2025.

Performers:

Elena Gabrielli - Flute/Piccolo
Caroline Mayrhofer - Paetzold
Tina Žerdin - Harp
Sonja Leipold - Harpsichord

Tremors (2025) Premiered by Airborne Extended

This work is a collection of miniatures for Trumpet and Piano written for and recorded by a close friend of mine, Jazz Trumpeter, Kevin Tzanetis.

Four Miniatures (for Trumpet and Piano)
I. Fanfare
II. Ballad
III. Interlude
IV. Cadenza


Recorded on 11/03/2025 at Center Street Performance Studio in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kevin Tzanetis, Trumpet
Tomás Jonsson, Piano

Four Miniatures (for Trumpet and Piano)

This is a Concert Band arrangement of John William’s Composition, “Anakin’s Betrayal” from Star Wars Episode III Revenge of The Sith.

Michael Balsamo

Pinned to spotlight

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