Sonata No. 1 "Antithesis"

A dream.
Born of ideals
And burdened with purpose.
Upon which rests an ambition
That can only be called human.
All great journeys begin with but a step.
Though not all roads should be traveled,
And some dreams should stay dreams.

This piano suite is a lengthy programmatic work that confronts the literal and figurative repercussions of humans attempting to create the titular concept of “Arcadia,” or heaven/Eden, on Earth. The suite was written alongside an original poem of the same name that explains the narrative drama of the suite and the two frequently correspond in terms of content. Each movement is associated with one of the poem’s stanzas, and the secondary movement titles are drawn from the beginning of each stanza. Additionally, many musical elements share associations with passages and words within the poem.

Piano Suite No. 1, “Arcadia,” is dedicated to the life and memory of my godmother, Sandra Simons, who passed away shortly before its completion. It was commissioned and premiered by Aaron Petit at my undergraduate senior recital, which took place on March 27th, 2021 in Gusman Hall on the University of Miami campus (Coral Gables, FL).

Link to the full poem: drive.google.com/file/d/1PnCIaEsJ…view?usp=sharing
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Website: www.wesleythompsonmusic.com/
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Piano Suite No. 1, "Arcadia," Op. 16: I. Toccata (A Dream)

Commissioned 2021 by the University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble

You've Come A Long Way, Baby

"Technically supreme. Delicately sensitive playing. A perfectly blended ensemble." -Chamber Music Bern
This distinguished ensemble, in residence at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., presents a program that includes a world premiere of a Symphony Space commission by Marjorie Merryman, plus the Beethoven Trio in G Major, Op. 1 No. 2; Mendelssohn Trio in C minor, Op. 66; and Dina Koston's "Piccolo Trio."
The program&nbsp;begins with Associate Artistic Director and composer Laura Kaminsky moderating Underscore, a conversation with composer Marjorie Merryman .
&nbsp;

Marjorie Merryman, Echo - Raphael Trio

The message resounding in this piece is an appeal for equity and inclusivity. 

One of the effects of resistance is an attempt to dissolve barriers of discrimination. The goal is to have walls crumble; the fall of the Berlin Wall is such a poignant memory for the commissioners of this piece – the wall’s dissolution provided much needed harmony. This piece serves to remind us that we humans, in our beautiful diversity, are equally one.

When Apathy is Betrayal_FULL 60 minutes!

Each year, approximately five-hundred billion plastic cups are used, of which roughly six billion end up in landfills. ...grind... attempts to symbolize the faulty business and political ideologies that ultimate contribute to a lack of environmental sustainability through the destructive morphology of a single sound source: a plastic Keurig coffee pod hitting the floor. 

...grind... was inspired by Donkey Coffee's Fair Trade Coffee initiative and their continued commitment to Zero Waste.

...grind... (8.1 channel fixed media)

Jellyfish

mAtrix[Blue]ooM

Initially, this piece was an etude study into a new theory I was devising. As I was finishing the work, my anxieties resurfaced during the Black Lives Matter protests following the aftermath of George Floyd's death by Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. I am not a Black person, but as a person of color with a traumatic history with white supremacy, I am hurting for the black community. 

The title is meant to catalog my confusion in such devastating, semi-Orwellian times. Bloom - a term used to describe diminishing returns on the accuracy of semi-automatic guns. [Blue] - those we've anointed our guardians of justice. 

Performed and Recorded by Jacob Mason 
http://www.jacobmasonpianist.org/

rynejsmusic@gmail.com
www.rynejsmusic.com

Picture: Richmond, VA protests

mAtrIx[Blue]ooM (Two Quarter-Tuned Pianos)

"glass, evaporate[d]"

Within the first month after its premiere on "A Night of Robert Black" (with pianist, Lindsay Garritson), my piece "lips evaporate" for double bass and piano received several performances and recordings all around the United States. While mixing and mastering the recordings, my curiosity spiked after accidentally displacing certain tracks within the mix session. "glass, evaporate[d]" is the self-plundered amalgamation of this experiment. 

Performed and recorded by Jacob Mason
http://www.jacobmasonpianist.org/

"refract" by Jacob Mason
https://ja-cob-mus.bandcamp.com/album/refract?fbclid=IwAR3MEq0buAtzIdwqlfoJKaLNHgXT6mpXeM5WGxBsOxuNMDaw1Le3nKUS9TA

Picture: "Universal Tears (CGI)" by Rob Bryant, Jr
https://www.behance.net/robbryantjr

rynejsmusic@gmail.com
www.rynejsmusic.com

Selected for programming at the 2021 Society of Composers, Inc National Conference

Selected for presentation at the 4th annual Research on Contemporary Composition Conference (October 25th, 2020)

glass, evaporate[d] (Three Quarter-Tuned Pianos)

Rain Chain

Wesley Thompson is a composer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist from the coastal town of Fairhope, Alabama. Drawing from eclectic influences such as 20th century classical music, heavy metal, and video game soundtracks, Thompson explores the blurring of boundaries between the categorical tools called “genres.” A love of improvisation, born from his piano studies, is also integral to his compositional style.

As a pianist, Thompson filters everything through his unique manner of improvising that melds diverse pieces of music together into extended sets or suites, as exemplified in his album "Improvisations and Arrangements."

Thompson's compositions have been performed by artists as diverse as the Beo String Quartet, Transient Canvas, and Aaron Petit. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in composition at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.

Piano Suite No. 1, "Arcadia," Op. 16: I. Toccata (A Dream)

Wesley Thompson

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