Year composed: 1989Duration: 10′Instrumentation: trumpet, trombone, piano Commissioned by Andrew Glendening Notes: The Coriolis effect is the physical deflection of wind (or any free-moving object) to the right of its path in motion in the northern hemisphere, and to the left in the southern hemisphere. The deviation is caused by the earth’s rotation, and is…

after Hildegard von Bingen Year composed: 1997, rev. 2002Duration: 21′Instrumentation: string quartet Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, premiered by the Kronos Quartet, and reorded by the Alexander Quartet on the Columba aspexit album (Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.) Notes: Columba aspexit is based upon a chant by Hildegard von Bingen, a twelfth-century…

Year composed: 1996Duration: 14′Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, cello, percussion, piano Movements:I. SpikyII. SparklingIII. Fast Commissioned by the Earplay Ensemble and premiered at the Yerba Buena Forum in San Francisco. Recorded on Columba aspexit album (Anthology of Recorded Music Inc.) Notes: Geode is made up of three movements, with a middle movement about twice as long as…

Year composed: 1995Duration: 12′Instrumentation: clarinet, violin, piano Movements:I. Fast, SwingingII. Delicate, FragileIII. Cheeky and Cheerful Commissioned by the Verdehr Trio and premiered in Bangkok, Thailand on East Asian tour. Notes: The title Primary Colors refers to outer movements one and three. The music in these movements is bright, strong, fast and fun, with lots of…

Year composed: 1998Duration: 10′Instrumentation: violin and piano Commissioned by Karen Bentley and premiered in Menlo Park, CA, Spring 1998. Recorded on la mar amarga album (Albany Records). Notes: Back to Square One explores the concept of identity through its double nature, change and stasis. It exposes and develops a primal cell even as it manifests…

Year composed: 2007Duration: 14′Instrumentation: piano trio La ma amarga was commissioned by the Noe Valley Chamber Music Society with assistance from the Carol Franc Buck Foundation. It was written for Graeme Jennings, Leighton Fong, and Christopher Jones, and premiered on April 15, 2007, at the NOe Valley Ministry in San Francisco. Recorded on la mar…

Year composed: 2007Duration: 7′Instrumentation: soprano, flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, double bass Movements:I. “Light changes”II. “Walking, Naming It” Text by John Campion Written for soprano Lucy Shelton and the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players on texts by John Campion from Squaring the Circle. Notes: back to full catalog

Year composed: 2008 Duration: 12′Instrumentation: viola and piano Movements:I. Light and ColourII. Shade and Darkness Premiered by Ellen Ruth Rose and Cindy Cox, Green Room, War Memorial Building, San Francisco, 2008 Notes: When I began this piece I had just returned from London and visits to the National Gallery and Tate museums, where I went…

Year composed: 2008Duration: 18′Instrumentation: alto saxophone, clarinet/bass clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, double bass, percussion, and piano Notes: Listening to me playing this piece, my sister said, “I hear all sorts of natural sounds, things blowing, shaking, leaves rustling, waves rolling”. The title En círculo is derived from the verb “encircle”, as approaching from the outside,…

Year composed: 2009 (movement 3 in 2014)Duration: 8′Instrumentation: piano trio (violin, cello, piano) Movements:I. Quietly urgentII. Periodic, hypnotic, with a regular pulse like a heartbeatIII. Forceful, punchy Notes: The movements in Wave take the shape of an ever-increasing, oceanic-like wave form. The first movement is constructed around a small circular scalar fragment; the harmony gradually…