This feels raw. No layers. No reverb. Just me and the piano.

Intimate Eyes

Inspired by the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center pond.  
A new home recording for you!

Windcatcher

Rusted Car

After a fun day hanging out with one of my favorite kids, I was inspired to write this little lullaby in the living room after she fell asleep. Here's also to exploring new tunings on the Taylor guitar.

Lullaby For Sabine

I'm planning on making a series of very short mood pieces. Here's the first.

Miniature 1

Miniature 2

Read by the CalArts orchestra May 2015
Violin solo: Jonathan Tang
Cello solo: Thea Mesirow
Composed by Yvette Holzwarth
www.yvetteholzwarth.com

Needles for orchestra

Still a work in progress but maybe you'll like to see the first draft!
----
Have you made your plans today?
The things-to-do, your duties are sitting on the list.

The house, it could use a cleaning
Though it's nice to stay in bed, there's money to be made

Hey! Let's go and plant an apple tree 
Dig a hole and lay a seed
Doesn't it sound easy?

When we're old, we'll have some shade for sitting
A bushel to eat under our big apple tree.

Apple Tree demo

Live recording from my recital at CalArts performed by:
Yvette Holzwarth, Kathryn Shuman (vocals); Elsa Lund (kalimba, vocals); Rachel Iba (violin, vocals); Patrick Behnke (viola); Caleb Veazey (electric guitar); Daniel Gonzalez (Rhodes); Ben Finley (double bass); Nick Hon (drum set)

I always start with perfect vision
Every vein on every leaf stands out to me
Why always curiosity comes along and blurs the lines?

When dust settles from the big stir
Will you be surprised by the change that occured?
When again you can see in full clarity
Will you be disturbed by the things you have learned?

As you move past
As you move past the glass
I hope to find you on the other side

When Dust Settles (live from ROD)

recorded live at ROD Music Hall at CalArts

performers: 
yvette holzwarth, kathryn shuman, elsa lund, rachel iba, patrick behnke, dan gonzalez, caleb veazey, ben finley, nick hon 

lyrics: 
i'm ok with going slow
it always finds a way to flow
as water makes it path through stone
i'm cutting a canyon
//
damn it seems so hard to move
the way things keep piling up to do 
but time will bring me back to you
i keep cutting a canyon
//
patience 
it could take a while
patience 
wait for it 
wait for me
wait 

Cut A Canyon (Live from ROD)

a bedroom recording sept 2016

make room for my mistakes
make room for my contradiction
make room but don't lose faith
love is strong
we won't let it break

don't fear what you can't understand 
don't fear the stormy confusion
don't fear a tragedy
love is strong 
the bad will melt away

Make Room (home demo version)

Throwback to CalArts MFA Grad Recital:
A song that we performed only once and was never heard since...
until opening up a ProTools file this week on accident and rediscovering this little odd-metered folk song. This is "We Look for Magic" emerging out of recent digital history! Hope you enjoy listening. 

Kat Shuman - lead vocal
Elsa Lund, Yvette Holzwarth - vocal harmonies
Yvette Holzwarth, Rachel Iba - violins
Patrick Behnke - viola
Caleb Veazey - guitar
Dan Gonzalez - Rhodes
Ben Finley - double bass
Nick Hon - drums

We Look For Magic (live from ROD)

Title track from album "What Lies Ahead" 
Find full-length album here: https://yvettecornelia.bandcamp.com/album/what-lies-ahead

"What Lies Ahead" is the debut full-length LP of classically-trained violinist and singer-songwriter Yvette Cornelia, who has recorded with independent artists the likes of Van Dyke Parks, Gaby Moreno, and Kamasi Washington. Here, Yvette’s string arrangements and melodic precision steer a path through the clouded landscape of her heart's desire, only to come undone by the communitas of improvisatory chamber folk.

released April 2, 2018

Yvette Holzwarth, voice, violin, and viola
Kat Shuman and Elsa Lund, vocals
Caleb Veazey, guitar
Dan Gonzalez, keys and clarinet
Ben Finley, bass
Nick Hon, drumset

Guest artists:
Miroslav Tadić, guitar (Acoma Palos)
Brandon Coleman, synth solo (Up Here)
Todd Barneson, mandolin (When Dust Settles)

Cover art: Caitlyn Tella
Recording engineer: Nadim Issa
Mixing engineer: Davy Sumner
Mastering engineer: Daniel Walter Eaton

What Lies Ahead

Open It Up

Here’s one of the first songs I wrote. The lyrics were inspired from a translated Chinese poem in a book given to me by Richard Caceres in 2009. I actually wrote the song on guitar (I think an early version is on my Soundcloud…) The bridge came out when I moved it over to keyboard. 

The core of this song is a live recording of Rory Cowal on Wurly, Graham Chapman on bass, and Andrew Lessman on drums. My voice and violin were layered on top later. Chris plays cello and sings in the chorus at the end. Like the other recordings I recently posted, this was engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by Chris Votek in his Echo Manor studio.
credits

Rory Cowal - Wurlitzer 
Graham Chapman - bass 
Andrew Lessman - drums 
Chris Votek - cello and background vocals, engineering/mixing/mastering

Rivermouth

Yvette Cornelia is a Californian violinist, vocalist, and composer. 

Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Yvette began studying classical violin at the age of three. A lover of poetry and prose, she attended UCLA to study American Literature for her B.A. and then CalArts to receive an MFA in Performance and Composition. 

Exploration of LA's rich cultural landscape and time spent in Beijing, Taipei, rural Sonoma County, and Eastern Europe has broadened her palette to include Arabic, Hungarian and  Macedonian folk, Chinese, Americana, improvisation, and experimental styles. As a songwriter, her wide range of influences seeps into her work and creates a distinct musical voice. 

In 2013, she released her first EP "Open It Up." These songs, which were co-produced by cellist/engineer Chris Votek, were recorded in a bedroom studio in Echo Park. They feature an intricate layering of violins and vocals on top of other organic elements including guzheng, glockenspiel, cello. 

Her latest solo release "What Lies Ahead" is a new album featuring a nine-piece ensemble formed during her time at CalArts. These exploratory songs slide between chamber, pop, and folk landscapes.

Yvette Cornelia

Popular tracks