Stars is a one piano, four hands piece about the twinkling of the stars. The stars are represented by a repeating pattern, that is developed throughout the piece. 

Stars by Brittney Benton was premiered at Connecticut Summerfest 2021 by ZOFO. More information about Connecticut Summerfest can be found at www.ctsummerfest.org.

Photo by Adrian Pelletier on Unsplash

Stars (2021) for one piano, four hands

"Flow" embodies a flowing river, meandering through the woods at its own unhurried pace.

Performed by Danielle Kuntz
https://www.daniellekuntz.com/
https://www.youtube.com/daniellekuntz

Watch the performance here: https://youtu.be/5fFTi7DX_HY

Photo by Joris Visser on Unsplash

Flow (2021) for solo harp

The third piece in Piano Collections ~ Vol. 1

Extraterrestrial (2019) [Mockup]

2020 was a painful year for everyone. As I began to compose this piece, I felt the need to create something calming and serene, a feeling that I and the rest of the world had been missing that year. And so "Everlasting Sky" was born. This piece evokes the feeling of laying on the grass and looking up at the sky, with the clouds forever flowing peacefully above us.

It was premiered on October 21st, 2021 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Everlasting Sky

Meditation

Forgotten

Question

Vortex

Sand

The Nature Suite has three movements, each focusing on a different part of nature. The first, Fields, is joyful and is centered around the imagery of people enjoying a sunny day in a grassy field. Birds is a more serene look into nature. It has a feeling of flight and airy-ness. It begins with bird calls played by the flute and oboe before developing into a soaring melody that floats above the texture. While Birds is a calmer look at nature. River is full of energy. Its fast pace depicts a group of people riding down fast moving river rapids. It has a playful and exciting nature, but also moments of stress as their ride down the rapids gets a little rocky.

Movement Timestamps:
0:00 - Fields
4:37 - Birds
9:44 - River

The Nature Suite

A young priest's beliefs are challenged when one of the members of his church confesses a disturbing crime to him.

Music composed for the film "Absolution", written and directed by Adam Levine.

Absolution Ending Theme

Tragedy Cue 2

Tragedy Cue 1

While writing this piece, I thought about the memories I have from various experiences in my life. Each person has their own memories and it affects their lives in different ways. Some memories are sad and bring back painful moments from our past, while others are pleasant and make us happy to remember them. Written in 2019, Memory is about reliving these memories, and the nostalgia surrounding them. 

Performed by Finn Caoile and Paniz Shafaei

Memory

Upon reading Walt Whitman's "Continuities", I knew I had to write music for it. The poem inspired me to compose my own emotional and musical interpretation, embracing the never-ending flow of nature.

Winner of the Bellevue Chamber Chorus' "Emerging Composer Competition" in 2021.​

It was premiered on May 21st, 2022 by the Bellevue Chamber Chorus.

Continuities

Impulse focuses on syncopation, dovetailing, and changing time signatures. Accented notes poke their way through the texture. The melodies and accompaniment are often passed between all three clarinets, blending each of the instruments together while the piano provides the rhythmic glue that holds it all together through the changing time signatures. Each of these attributes led me to the name “Impulse”, as this piece impulsively propels itself forward.

Impulse was premiered on August 10th, 2022 at the inaugural Akropolis Chamber Music Institute (ACMI).

Impulse

I discovered the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar late 2020. I found his poem “Invitation to Love”, and was inspired by the heartfelt nature of the text. Unlike most poems about love, this poem’s narrator is speaking to a love that hasn’t appeared in their life quite yet. I thought this was a beautiful idea. To represent this, I wrote the music like a lullaby with lush harmonies to imbue the music with a loving, tender quality.

Performed by Chicago a cappella. Used by permission.

Invitation To Love

In August of 2022, I attended the first ever Akropolis Chamber Musicians Institute. It took place in a community called Bay View, right next to Petoskey, Michigan. Being born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, I had never had the chance to be surrounded by forest and greenery. It was a beautiful and inspiring experience for me. I thought it would be fitting to write a piece about trees, using it as a reflection of how I felt spending my time in nature. The calm and peaceful atmosphere manifested in the name "Lullaby for Trees".

Premiered by the Akropolis Reed Quintet on October 20th, 2023 at Converse College.

Lullaby For Trees

In this work, I’ve made an effort to step away from my typical use of tonality, using a tonal center instead. A recurring theme, first found in the violin, is passed around to all instruments, finding its way into each of the sections before the end. The subtle drama of sustained harmonies interplays with the mystery captured in the energy of rhythm - creating a constant tension.

Performed by Megan Lin, violin; Olivia Jakyoung Huh, cello; Elisabeth Tsai, piano at Yale University 4/18/24

Piano Trio No. 1

The second piece in Piano Collections ~ Vol. 1

Playful Comet (2019) [Mockup]

The first piece in Piano Collections ~ Vol. 1

A Star Filled With Dreams (2019) [Mockup]

A string quartet written for a concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of Clara Schumann's birth. This is a recording of the Beo String Quartet from a reading session.

C.L.A.R.A. (2019) for string quartet

Bach Unraveled was written for the Beo String Quartet at the 2020 Online Charlotte New Music Festival for a speedwriting challenge. It was premiered on June 20th, 2020.

Participants only had three days to write their pieces, based on either "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin or Contrapunctus I from Bach's "The Art of Fugue". I chose the Bach, and focused on the opening subject. Be sure to look out for it in my piece!

If you'd like to watch them perform it here is link to the video on my channel: https://youtu.be/riesoB0SVh8

It was also one of the featured pieces on the Beo String Quartet's "An Inside Look Ep. 11: Bold New Voices" on January 10th, 2021! In that episode they talk a bit more about the piece. The link for that is here:   https://youtu.be/WNWQlVcI84A

I hope you enjoy!

Art: Still Life with a Copy of De Waere Mercurius, a Broadsheet with the News of Tromp's Victory over three English Ships on 28 June 1639, and a Poem telling the story of Apelles and the Cobbler by Anthonius Leemans (1631 - 1673)

Bach Unraveled (2020) for string quartet

Hi! My name is Brittney. I am a composer who writes classical music, as well as music for video games and film!

I can be contacted through my email:
brittneybentonmusic@gmail.com

Brittney Benton

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