blue fluidity (2014)
This work was actually the last I wrote while I was a student at Moravian College. In my composition practicum, my teacher, Sean O' Boyle, said he had been in contact with a group he knew in Australia called the Plexus Collective. This trio is made up of violin (Monica Curro), clarinet (Philip Arkinstall), and piano (Stefan Cassomenos). Sean had told me that I one last work to write for him, and the trio simply said "If we like it, we will program it for our next season; and (by great fortune) like it they did.
blue fluidity received its world premiere on May 26th, 2015 in Mornington, Victoria, Australia at the Beleura House and Garden. It received its US Premiere at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam) on September 11, 2015 from the DeMarina Trio (Inna Eyzerovich, violin; Deborah Andrus, clarinet; and Martha Schrempel, piano).
The piece is in a simple ABA form, with the outside sections being centered around a jazzy motive that I had actually written for a film scoring practicum at Moravian (again with Sean). It is also driven by an unceasing bass line in the left hand of the piano. The inner section is much darker, with an influence of Poulenc's Trois Pieces and a little of Scriabin's works.
"Well it's cool, well-written, and the audience loved it. I think he gets an A+ for this assignment!" - PLEXUS Collective Read more here
Looking back on it, I never knew that this would be my most performed work, and I am thankful and grateful for that!
