From a few dozen compostitions it will take a while for me to decide which are worth sharing, since many of these are only available as previews done on synthesized instruments rather than as live concert recordings. Some aim to be serious classical compositions, while others were composed for more utilititarian purposes, or just as experiments in various styles. I don’t expect anyone to like all of them, or like them equally, since I don’t even claim that.
Many of my original creative works posted here are considered “completed”, as they were crafted for a specific concert or project. Others are still works-in-progress. Or, to be truthful, works out-of-progress. And a few are merely sketches for ideas that are not yet fully worked out. But any piece may be revisited someday.
The list will slowly evolve as I work out which selections to add, and whether to simply list the basics, such as title and instrumentation, or to also add links to recordings and descriptive “program notes” as well.
CHAMBER MUSIC (classical music for small ensembles)
String Quartet:
Inside Voices (2020) Original music with adopted video, in the style of a “COVID-19 PSA” which was so ubiquitous at the time – spring 2020 – when quarantines roamed the land. See the finished video on YouTube.
Topaz (2019) Tone poem inspired by memories of the WW-II era Internment Camp for Japanese Americans, which was in west-central Utah.
Misc. chamber music:
Click (2020) Trio for oboe, harp and cello. Short, understated piece to accompany a teaser video for an upcoming arts event. Hear it on my YouTube.
Planxty Rum Doodle (2020) Trio for piano, violin & flute. Frisky, neo-celtic piece. The title was inspired by a very clever book spoofing a troubled trek to the highest mountain in the world. Hear it on my YouTube channel.
Werewolf Variations (2019) For Contrabass (orchestral “String Bass”) and piano. Variations on the rhythmic pattern of a short poem used in the script of a classic Werewolf movie from the early 1940s. Performed on the Salty Cricket concert series.
Fanfare for Philo T. Farnsworth (2018) Trio for two trumpets and trombone. Inspired by the pioneering technical vision of this local (Utah/Idaho) inventor whose efforts resulted in modern television technology. Performed live on a Salty Cricket series concert, but this video used just a demo/preview recording using synthesized instruments. (The outdated events mentioned in the video are not related to the music.)
My Heart and I (2017) Art song for Soprano, piano and cello. Lyric is part of a poem from an 1870s Salt Lake City author who considered herself something of a “fallen woman” redeemed by faith. Performed in a Salty Cricket series concert.
Brillig (2016?) Setting of the classic quirky poem Jabberwocky, composed for a mixed “Pierrot” ensemble of 5(?) instrumentalists plus a narrator/singer. Performed on a Salty Cricket series concert, but this demo recording was made using synthesized instruments.
Profundo (2015) Mash-up of 27 pop song themes for a trio of LOW instruments, including tuba, bassoon and string bass. Performed live at a Salty Cricket concert, and again live in studio for a KBYU radio production on local arts. Fairly forgetable, but with a few fun touches – such as transitioning from “Old Man River” to the “Jaws” theme. Hear it online from KBYU radio’s program archives.
John Muir’s Lilies (2014) My first notated piece of music, this trio for flute, viola and harp was performed live in a Salty Cricket series concert. The title references the man consided the father of America’s conservation movement, and is based on a section of one of his books in which he related a visit to Utah early in the 20th century. There is a rough sounding version using “synthesized” instruments online at my YouTube page.
OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
Empress Fanfare (for brass band) – Named after a century old restored theatre venue in Magna, Utah.
Patria (a.k.a. Ventura?) – Parade music for band. Written for a 2018 video montage about my small town’s Fourth of July parade. Video on YouTube.
Drone music – A churning, dense soundscape to play against a montage of lighter-than-air visuals from video shot by drone photography expert Scott Taylor. Video on YouTube.
Jesse vs. Christmas (Christmas Bombast!) – Jesse Vs. Cancer is a podcast by comedian Jesse Case who shares his experience going through and recovering from a time of quite serious cancer treatment. He invited listeners to work up their own quirky adaptations of his original podcast theme music and send it in. Mine took the form of an overblown orchestral Christmas Fantasia, interpolating Jesse’s humble original theme with the Hallelujah Chorus & Carol of the Bells. Mea Maxima Culpa. Here is the synthesized mess that was used in the podcast from my YouTube page.
Halloween Midsummer – This was started with the intention of using it to help promote a local Halloween-themed festival. The people managing the festival were running short on time to supply the video, so I wrote some music to add to their visuals in case it was needed. But just in time they *did* supply their own finished video with music, so my “filler” project was shelved – but it was still fun to write. We all go a little mad sometimes… It is lurking on my YouTube page.
Wixley – Suite of incidental music for a proposed radio drama project. Would love to see it produced someday. Sort of a “Twilight Zone” type of fantasy based on a short story by celebrated Magna author Clair Huffaker.
Highway 12 Bar Blues – Breezy jazz/blues theme written for a video about driving one of the most scenic stretches of road in central Utah.
Magna Noir – A short Jazz/Blues theme to use in various projects, such as underscore for credits/title sequences. It is included as music for the opening titles in this video on YouTube
Archaic Bridge – Loopable transition or intro music.