Compositions

Innocence Corrupted

PDF score

Innocence Corrupted encompasses the idea of change within tonality as a metaphor for how minds becomes corrupted over time. Corruption occurs within a community whether it be through pressure, politics, motivation, curiousity and a vast variety of factors. These elements take an individual's mind and directs it towards a dark, sinister path. The piece illustrates this idea by introducing melodic motives that flow over a soothing, yet driving string and piano accompaniment. As the busyness dies down within the entire orchestra, solo instruments are left to develop these motives and leave the initial tonality set in the introduction. The exploration of different tonalities is the first step into a gradual transformation of tonality over the course of three sections. These larger three sections have characteristics of innocence, warped curiousity, and corruption that all derive off of each other and create an overall variations form.

This orchestral work was heavily inspired by the work of Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, and Hector Berlioz borrowing language from orchestral works Petrushka, The Rite of Spring and La Mer for portraying changes in the texture. The concept of central, corrupting melodies comes from the use of idée fixe (fixation) in Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Moreso, the work was inspired by an interest in psychology of the human mind. The idea of variations felt best for portraying motivic elements in several moods, each one more corrupt than the last.

Innocence Corrupted was composed for the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Thomas Loewenheim.

Orchestra: Fresno State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Thomas Loewenheim

Ramblings of a Social Network

PDF score

Ramblings of a Social Network (2011) is a song cycle about the everyday lives of my friends and professors who share about their lives through status updates on online social networks. This song cycle takes some of their amusing statuses from Facebook.com and illustrates them in a musical setting portraying their personalities and moods. For greater “LOL”s as they say on the Internet, the singer mimics the physical habits of the actual individuals to fully capture their persona. This work was a collaborative effort with pianist Michael Krikorian, who greatly aided in composing the piano parts for Forever Alone, & Football Game.

I. Fruit Fly (MP3 excerpt) – A fruit fly committed suicide on my spaghetti sauce. // AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH // Poor Bugger. – Elisa Moles

II. Forever Alone – You know how in yearbooks people vote for someone to be most likely to become the president and stuff? Well, for the first time I actually won one. I was voted most likely to be “Forever Alone.” – Kristen Krikorian

III. R2-D2™ -- I had a dream that I adopted a parrot and he had a message to deliver like R2-D2™ from a New Hope.™ What the heck do they put in Theraflu?! ™ -- Ashlea Sheridan

IV. Football Game – So, I heard there is a football game [Ah ha ha ha!]. Or maybe futbol? Or something along those lines going on right now. Based upon the sheer amount of media covering this game I guess I should care about it. Except I don’t [Ah ha ha ha!]. Not one bit [Ah ha ha ha!]. Does that make me anti-American? Anti-football? Anti-Wisconsin or Pennsylvania? Or something entirely different? I’ve put too much thought into this [Ah ha ha ha!]. – Kenneth Froelich

Soprano: Sharon Rogers
Pianist: Michael Krikorian

This piece is also featured on Ann Moss's (CMASH) blog as well as pianist Guy Livingston's Audio Page

Mother, Please

PDF score

Mother, Please (2010) is a one act opera that tells the tale of two daughters (Erika & Christina) who wish to date the men (Leroy & Mark) they love. However, they face the obstacle of their bitter mother (Josephina) who disapproves of any man that would dare to get close. She tests the men in three trials, eventually realizing that she must let her daughters free to experience their own happiness. The opera is written for two sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, one tenor and one baritone... as well as a silent actor that plays a cow. While the opera is generally a comedy, it contains valuable meanings about the nature of family.

The libretto was written by soprano Sharon Rogers who based the plot on her mother’s own experience with her daughter’s marriage. Many of the plot’s events are cleverly drawn from Sharon’s own life, including a scene that focuses on a riddle told during dinner with her family. To Sharon, this is a personal story that was derived from her heart and it was my job to compose music that was suitable to match its delicacy.

The two collaborated in the summer of 2010 to write and compose a 20 minute opera to be premiered in the fall. However, as time passed, the opera developed into a 40-minute opera production. Sharon and her family even built a set from scratch. Once the semester started, the duo were tasked with producing, premiering, and directing (not to mention Sharon had to perform as well) the opera with the guidance of Fresno State’s staff accompanist, Hatem Nadim, and Fresno State Opera Theatre’s director, Dr. Anthony Radford. This opera marked the first time that students at Fresno State had collaborated to write, compose, and direct an opera in Fresno State’s history, and was honored by being buried in Fresno State’s Centennial Time Capsule.

Scenes featured on site:
-- Scene 1 (PDF only) – The Plan: Erika and Christina work a plan to confidently ask their mother to date the men. Erika is overly anxious.
-- Scene 3 (PDF and MP3) – Courage and Panic: Leroy & Mark discuss about Erika and Christina’s mother. Mark is confident, but Leroy is in a state of panic due to Erika’s exaggerations of what her mother does to unworthy men.
Note: The excerpts are taken from a woodwind quintet arrangement of the opera; the original score contains solely piano accompaniment.

Erika: Sharon Rogers
Christina: Valerie Salcedo
Mark: Rene Ponce
Leroy: Joshua Bear
Flute: Rebecca Carlton
Oboe: Heidi Butterfield
Clarinet: Diego Zarate
Horn: Bradley Rutledge
Bassoon: Ashlea Sheridan

Calamitous Chapter

PDF score

Calamitous Chapter (2011) resulted from an angry outburst of frustration. After a period of extreme depression and being unable to compose, I went to my piano and played violent arpeggios. Finding satisfaction in this sound, I chose the other two instruments for their ability to screech at the higher ranges. As a result, I decided the piece would be a sonata for a flute, violin and piano trio.
The first theme represents violent, uncontrolled outbursts in all three instruments. The second theme contrasts with a canon in the flute and violin, repeating one central thought. The piece briefly unites in a key before the aforementioned outbursts reoccur in the recapitulation. Through expressing these emotions through the sonata form, I express musically what has been bottled up in my mind.

Flute: Cassandra Barnes
Violin: Erin Scofield
Piano: Jordan Williams