"To sleep, to dream" performed by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Recorded live, February 16, 2006. Commissioned by Swarthmore College.

I have often wondered why the ensemble made famous by Schubert in his renowned “Trout” quintet (D. 667) has not been more often employed by composers in the almost two centuries since its initial conception.  The chamber music literature abounds with works for the more traditional quintet (piano and string quartet), but the more interesting combination proposed by Schubert has had far fewer takers.  When I was approached by Swarthmore College to compose a work for members of the Brentano Quartet, I leapt at the chance to add a work to the limited repertoire for a quintet featuring my own often-neglected instrument, the double bass.  However, in planning the work, two concerns quickly arose: one, to avoid the thick, piano-centric writing so frequently found in much of the nineteenth-century repertoire in favor of a lighter, more transparent texture; and secondly, in composing a work for an ensemble so closely tied to one piece in the repertoire (one of the most ubiquitous works in the chamber music literature and one which I, myself, performed on many occasions), whether or not to acknowledge Schubert’s original.  However tempting it might be to appropriate Schubert’s quintet in some manner (and realizing that the work may find itself on programs with the “Trout” more often than not), I decided to avoid any connection or reference to the Schubert and create a world as far from it as possible.

The work is in one movement, loosely divided into several sections, all connected by shared harmonic and melodic material.  The opening (marked “delicately, otherworldly, dream-like”) introduces the general atmosphere and sound-world of the piece, as well as the musical materials upon which all subsequent sections will be based.  Following a violin cadenza, a long transition – beginning in a hazy world of string harmonics and crotales – leads into the first fast music.  This section, driven primarily by a “walking” line introduced by the double bass, includes the most rhythmically intricate music in the work.  As this music comes to a close, another cadenza, now for piano, leads into the second slow section (marked “darkly expressive”, and the longest section in the work).  Accompanied by piano clusters, glissandi, and quiet, slow trills, the double bass, soon to be joined by the other strings, begins a long lyric line which slowly rises, growing in intensity, until it reaches a final, dramatic climax.  The piano then begins a fast, running figure, soon to be taken over by the strings, which quickly dissolves into the final, coda-like section.  As the opening atmosphere returns and the music slowly fades, the violin solo returns, climbing into silence.

"To sleep, to dream" was commissioned by Swarthmore College in honor of Gilmore and Mary Roelofs Stott.  The work was written during summer of 2001 at the MacDowell Colony and revised in 2004 at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the support of both of which is most gratefully acknowledged.  The work was premiered at Swarthmore College in November 2001 by members of the Brentano String Quartet: Serena Canin, violin, Mischa Amory, viola, and Nina Lee, ’cello, with James Freeman, double bass, and Thomas Sauer, piano.

To sleep, to dream (2001/2004)for vln, vla, vc, dbs, and pno/celesta

Performed and Recorded by James Nova, all trombones.

Terpsichore (terp-si-core-ay) comes to us from Greek Mythology. One of the nine classical Muses, her patronage was that of lyric poetry, dancing and playing the flute. In our contemporary lexicon, the derivative adjective terpsichorean means (n.) "a dancer" and (adj.) "pertaining to dancing."

In 1612, the German composer and music theorist Michael Praetorius (1571—1621) published a collection of over 300 dances in a collection he called Terpsichore, Musarum Aoniarum. Arranged by Praetorius for unspecified instrumental ensembles, the dances were derived from the stately French dance repertoire of the day, which includes forms such as bourrée, gavotte, la volta, galliard, etc.

This work draws from the Branles Simple (la, la, la, je ne l'ose dire), which is included in Praetorius' collection and attributed to French composer Pierre-Francisque Caroubel (1556—1615?). My treatment of the material takes inspiration from another modern work, the colossal and rarely heard ballet/opera, Tanz-Schul, completed in 1987 by Mauricio Kagel (1931—2008). Kagel similarly sourced material from a manual of dance music, Gregorio Lambranzi’s 1716 treatise New and Curious Theatrical School of Dancing, which featured bizarre illustrations, detailed descriptions and short, melodic examples. Kagel's preference to satirize the material made special use of the fabulous illustrations and countless notational errors found throughout the musical engravings in the treatise.

I prefer to think of my piece as an examination of Praetorius and Caroubel's work as seen through a kaleidoscope. The source material floats like an earworm melody that's been stuck in your head for as long as you can remember; mutated, interrupted, deconstructed and reassembled in the churning tides of thought and memory.

(Completed May 31, 2024)�

"Terpsichore" (for Trombone Choir)

World Premiere peformance by the Las Cruces Symphony
Ming Luke, conductor
Atkinson Recital Hall, New Mexico State University
Saturday, March 29, 2025

Synopsis

Some years ago (in 2007 or 2008) I came across the following passage on a now forgotten website: “On September 24, 1235, General Yoritsume [sic] and his army observed unidentified globes of light flying in erratic patterns in the night sky near Kyoto, Japan. It is believed that General Yoritsume enlisted the services of a team of astronomers to investigate the cause of the incident, allegedly making this event the earliest known scientific analysis of a UFO sighting. After some deliberation, the General's advisors reported to him that it was merely the wind causing the stars to sway.” This story is presumed to refer to Kujō Yoritsune, the fourth shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate in 13th century Japan. Sixteen years later, a return to the internet yields the following anecdote in the Wikipedia article overviewing Yoritsune’s reign: “1244 (Kangen 2): In the spring of this year, a number of extraordinary phenomena in the skies over Kamakura troubled Yoritsune deeply.” There is no further information recorded about this event.

A cursory review of additional online references to this tale yields only paranormal and cryptid investigators and ufologists drawing biased confirmations that the former, unverified story contributes to the body of possible evidence that the ancient and classical worlds were, for some reason, visited by aliens. Interestingly enough, while the internet's base for validating pseudoscientific claims, conspiracies and urban legends has immeasurably deepened in the years since 2007, so too has the public’s awareness, interest and validation of so-called UFOs. It would have been hard to imagine back then that a decade and a half later both the United States and Japanese governments would hold public hearings in governmental chambers and establish legitimate ministries to investigate these matters. Without suggesting there are really aliens out there watching us, in a much more pragmatic way than the TV show predicted The X-Files has come true. “Wind is Causing the Stars to Sway” is a work for orchestra that is meant to provide a soundtrack for the curious, apocryphal tale of “General Yoritsume” and what he and his soldiers might have witnessed in the skies above medieval Kyoto. The underlying themes are rooted in the pitfalls of pseudoscientific investigation and circumstantial evidence being used to bolster present day, presupposed conclusions about UFOs and the significance of humanity’s position in the cosmos.�

Wind Is Causing The Stars To Sway (for Orchestra)

This is a mix of tracks that were made by me and my mates. Few remixes in there but a load of originals too.

DJ set Valentines 2025

Live Performance 2022 - Miami, FL
Composer: Sydney Doemel
Performers: Sydney Doemel, Melissa D'Albora, Jack DeBouter, Wynne Owre

Venerate

A Golden Keep was written in the Summer of 2023 through collaboration with the incredible bassoonist, Lauren Henning. Together, we created the concept for a work which would present a set of miniatures–each one following a different character that could be found in the keep of a castle. This fourth miniature introduces, “The Princess”, a character who feels rather trapped by the happenings of the keep, singing a song of longing and ambition. The music presents a lyrical melody which breaks into emotional vocalizations.

The performer you're hearing is:
Lauren Henning - Bassoon

Thank you for listening!

A Golden Keep - IV. The Princess

Sydney Weiler, alto flute

Steifel Hall - Mannes School of Music
New York, NY
March 19, 2025

and would I sublimate (2024)

Been sitting on this flip for months now! Just something fun and different for this track that owned 2024. Probably gonna keep working on it

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Kompany, IVORY - JACKPOT (JEONGJEONG FLIP)

Thought a track like this would sound cool in the middle of a set. Artwork very quickly got inspired by the movie Gladiator, i think its the colors

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KINGS & QUEENS

did i do it right? did i make riddim? is this riddim? is this the real life? is this just fantasy?

follow for some more silly goose type behavior :D
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IM COMIN' TO GETCHA

Composer, Cellist, and Writer—Want to collaborate or commission a piece? Message me!

A Golden Keep - IV. The Princess

Sean Lorenzo Penzo

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