Commissioned in 2005 by the New York State Band Directors Association conducted by Edward Lisk. This brief (1:45) fanfare  melds jazz, rock and contemporary sounds. It has been performed by college and good high school bands including the Eastman Wind Ensemble. I wish this midi version would swing better, even so, if your looking for something REALLY different to add to your program, this might be your piece. Thanks for listening.

Fanfare! Score listening

for violin and cello

*This work is written for the 2024 Tanglewood Music Festival Piece-a-Day Project

2024-08-19 0130PM CD1

Interlocking (2024)

The world premiere of Christus Est Vita (Hymnus to the Feast of St. Stephen), commissioned by St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and sung here by the St. Stephen's Domchor in their October 31st concert. I made the recording myself at the premiere. Christus Est Vita was later performed on Austrian radio and later in the year.

Christus Est Vita - World Premiere at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

Guoping Jia-the wind sound in the sky-for sheng,Cello,Percussion-2002

I. Pendulum
II. Zwischenraum
III. Flock

Written for and performed by David Dietz

Three Pieces for solo cello

Premiered April 2019 in Duncan Recital Hall

Joshua Hong, conductor
Megan Torti, flute/piccolo
Julia Simpson, oboe/english horn
Justin Best, clarinet
Julianne Mulvey, bassoon
Shawn Zheng, horn
Ayman Abouleish, trumpet
Zach Glaser, trombone
Joe Desotelle and Justin Kang, percussion
Wesley Ducote, piano
Mae Osawa and Julianne Oh, violins
Sarah Mason, viola
Nathan Hsu, cello
Rachel Martin, bass

Image: Achilles Mourning the Death of Patroclus, by Cy Twombly

as the light begins to drift (2019) for sinfonietta

a string quartet is like a flock of birds (2020) 
nine meditations and dances for string quartet

Commissioned by Kinetic Ensemble in Fall 2020

Performed Nov. 1st, 2020
Kinetic Ensemble - Textures of Change
Live Oak Friends Meeting House
Houston, TX

I've been thinking a lot recently about togetherness and apartness; how while we grieve and reckon with the collective trauma of the pandemic we've been isolated from one another, but at the same time we're still struggling to find new ways to connect. And in a certain sense, a string quartet epitomizes these ideas: it's a coming together of disparate things, fusing solo virtuosity with a more communal, receptive way of playing. All four parts are equal, and each player has to be both a follower and a leader. And I've also thinking about how wrong it feels to be creating something slow and somber to be performed now, when a return to music-making should really be a cause for joy and celebration. a string quartet is like a flock of birds is structured in 9 interlocking movements, with slow, reflective meditations alternating with fast, rhythmic dances. The whole quartet is focused on the musical idea of togetherness: the 4 parts fit together like a puzzle, and only when all the parts are fit together do melodies emerge. Each section in the piece is about the players slowly finding each other: sometimes overlapping, sometimes drifting apart into different kinds of motion, circling around each other like birds in flight. 

https://www.paulnovakmusic.com/
https://www.kineticensemble.org/

Image: Photo by Daniel Biber

a string quartet is like a flock of birds (2020) for string quartet

The William Jewell College Concert Choir recorded my setting of Fanny Crosby's "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" text at the conclusion of their Spring 2013 tour. I chose to set this text in a way which highlights the progression of the narrator's spirit from the resignation of the first stanza to the joyous reassurance of the final verses. The final product (intentionally) has nothing to do with the well known and loved old hymn by the same name. The piece makes use of a few soloists, sung here by Jeff Howe, myself, and Sarah Reed.

Thank you to Dr. Maglione and the WJC Concert Choir for programming the piece and allowing me to conduct this (rough!) recording. Everyone involved did an excellent job working with a very short amount of rehearsal time.

Copyright Stewart Duncan 2013

Interlocking (2024)

Grace Ann Lee