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Composition Overview

Violetta current project

Libretto by Leo Balkovitz

Wanting: 3 Mini Operas about Queer Dating and Relationships 2021

     The Misperception 10 min (originally premiered May 2020 with Kristen Marion as Idina and Cortlin Presley as Tasha)

     The Date 16 min

     Epilogue 5 min

2 sopranos, 2 low trans singers, violin, viola, piano

Riven Driftwood 2014. Libretto by Louise Edwards. 

32 min

soprano, straight-tone soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, violin, viola, bass gamba, cello, double bass, 2 percussion, clarinet, guitar, 2 piano.

Softer or something? 2021 Text by Quinn Gutman. 1:30 soprano, horn 

7 Banned Words 2018 voice, vibraphone

Tesla in Love 2016 Poem by Nicholas Bassman. 10 min. 

dancerflute, soprano, 2 violinsviola, cello

Warbler Woman 2016 Poem by Louise Edwards. 5:23 sopranoguitarvibraphone

Somebody?…Anybody?… 2014 10 min. 1 performer on soprano and flute

Where will Rest the Wanderer? 2013 Original poem, “Wo wird einst des Wandermüden,” by Heinrich Heine, English Translation by Joseph Auslander. 9 min child soprano, oboe, guitar, 2 piano

Parting at Morning 2013 Poem by Robert Browning.

5 min. 

mezzo-soprano, clarinetflute

The Eagle that is Forgotten 2012 Text by Vachel Lindsay.

voice, flute, 2 guitars

Palindrome 2021 Commissioned by Transient Canvas. 

5 min

bass clarinet, 5-octave marimba

Come Along 2021 Commissioned by Longy's Ensemble Uncaged 3 min

3 trumpets

Just Sit and Relax 2020

solo guitar

The Toys We Played With 2019 

flute, cello

The Immortal 2017 Commissioned by the Mivos Quartet 5 min

string quartet

The Writer 2016 Inspired by the poem by Richard Wilber. 6 min

percussionpiano

Sandpipers 2015 10 min

flute, clarinet, violin 

There’s Nothing to be Afraid of… 2013 10 min

2 percussion, cello

To Unity 2013 6 min

cellotuba, piano

Breaking Habits 2012 6 min

violinviola

2016 version for clarinet, cello

Abnormal Day 2012 3 min

solo clarinet 

Trio for Bassoon, Kalimba, and Bass Drum 2012 2 min

bassoon, kalimba, bass drum 

Child’s Dream 2012 Commissioned by Trio KAVAK.

3 min

flute, violaharp

7 Bagatelles 2011 7 min

flute, clarinet, violacello, piano

Monkey and Zookeeper 2011 1 min

fluteelectric bass

Arrangements

Excerpt from Voices Followed: The Illuminations of Joan of Arc by Bruno C. Faria

soprano, flute, trumpet in C, piano, violin, viola, cello, fixed media

4 Enchor Songs by Florence Price

mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, 2 trumpets, cello, piano

Walt Whitman in 1989 by Chris DeBlasio

tenor, flute, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano

O Choruscans lux stellarum by Hildegard von Bingen 

soprano, open instrumentation

Warbler Woman by Quinn Gutman

soprano, flute, oboe, piano, 3 violins, viola, cello

Kavanu Bechoshech from Three Yuval Rabin Songs by Osnat Netzer 

soprano, 3 violins, viola, 2 cellos

Lo Yisa Goy Hebrew folk song

SATB Choir

Hava Nashira, Hebrew folk song

SATB Choir

We Will Outlive Them...Letters to Rivka From Galica 2024. Commissioned by Jessica Bloch, set to letters delivered her Great Great Grandmother, Rivka, written by her father, brother, niece, sister-in-law, and nephew. Letters translated from Yiddish to English by Hannah Baer. Letter in final song by Leonid N. Fedotov.

     I. From Moshe

     II. Second Letter from Moshe

     III. From Israel 

     IV. Third Letter from Moshe

     V. From Gizu

     VI. Second Letter from Israel

     VII. From Brontzi

     VIII. From Chaim

     IX. Second Letter from Brontzi

     X. Second Letter from Gizu

     XI. Death Letter

A Lost Love 2020 Commissioned by soprano, Cortlin Presley about the life of Mercedes from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.

     Mercedes’ Rejection to Fernond

     The Years that Followed

     Mercedes sees Edmond Again

A Cappella Arias Continuing Project. A book of arias meant to be sung a cappella.

Current complete arias include;

     The Thing About Cats (text by John L’Heureux)

          2016 1:48

     Witness (text by Quinn Gutman) 2017 2:16

     Mowing (text by Robert Frost) 2017 1:30

     Talk (text by by D. H. Lawrence) 2018 0:39

     Three Things to Remember (text by William Blake)

          2018 1:30

     Die Erblendende (text by Reine Maria Rilke)

          2020 2:30

     The Unseen Playmate (text by Robert Lewis

          Stephenson) 2020 2:30

     Letter (text by Amy Lowell) 2020 2:00

     Pain or Joy (text by Christina Rosetti) 2020 1:30

     Do Me a Favor (text paraphrased from Sappho) 2021

          2:00

      I'm not afraid (text by Quinn Gutman) 2021 2:00

      App-les (text by Kelvyn Konig) 2021 0:30

Warbler Woman, 2017. Arrangement for piano and soprano. 5:23

She Sights a Bird 2024 Poem by Emily Dickenson. Commissioned by Quorum Boston.

SATB choir

What is G-d? 2018 Text by Quinn Gutman. 

Commissioned by Quorum Boston 3 min

SATB choir

Music, When Soft Voices Die 2011 Poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. 3 min

SATB choir

The Akosta Cats 2017 8 min

visual art, voice, fixed electronics, piano.

     Smokey (text by Louise Edwards)

     Paulie 

     Bouvier and Tangerine

Inside and Outside the Monkey Cage 2016 Text by Joni Raymonde Chira 13 min

video installation, 2 dancers, singer, chanter, rapper, improvised vocals, percussion

 

Departure 2016 Poem by Zachariah Claypole White.

4 min 

actor/spoken voice, fixed media

Hunting and Chasing 2013 2 min

fixed media

 

Motion in Sound and Sight 2013 10 min

pianopercussion, fixed electronics, video

Past and Present 2012 4 min

voicepiano, violin, fixed electronics

Can we just stop this already? 2020 5 min

flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinethornbassoon

How to Sneak in the Night 2020 4 min

trumpetviolin

Tossing and Turning 2016 Text by John Updike. Commissioned by Evan Miller

vibraphone/spoken voice

Let’s Keep in Touch, 2015 Commissioned by SŌ Percussion 8 min

percussion quartet

Alone Amongst Everyone Else 2015 8 min

percussion trio

It’s Coming (and You Can’t Ignore it) 2014 9 min

2 violinsviola, cellobassoon

11 Strophes 2019 8 minutes. 

A Book of Happenings 2015-current

      Multilingual Lunch

      An Object, How do you feel?

wine/line(in)gradients 2014

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