01.14.09 / 11:10pm // Karttikeya (Study No. 1) // Having never written for solo piano, in December I began working on a piece initially conceived as one movement in a small set of works for solo piano.   These works would serve as studies, for myself to develop aesthetics and explore new methods of generating material, as well as for the performer; perhaps as a departure from other works in the literature.   After a trip to the Asian art museum in San Francisco, I was reminded of my interest in Indian culture and their systems of organization in music.   I had already begun to sketch pitch material based on a 12-tone row, so I began to research their use of rhythmic cycles called desi-talas.   Each of the 120 ancient talas have specific cultural, spiritual and emotional associations and are used for specific events and situations.

While visiting the museum and reading some Hindu mythology, I became intrigued by the idea of writing a series of character pieces based on Hindu deities.   With this in mind, after doing some research I came across the story of Karrtikeya, a Hindu god of war and the eldest son of Shiva and Parvati.   In mid-December I set out to write the first of this seristhis series utilizing several talas chosen for their close associations with this deity Karttikeya is usually depicted with six faces and twelve arms, and was born with the sole purpose of defeating the asura (demon) Taraka, thus restoring order to the universe.

In addition to choosing talas with characteristics to evoke the image of  Karttikeya, there are several structural elements that specifically use the number twelve.   This work utilizes the 12-tone system, with a total of 12 permutations of the row.   After writing the initial sketch with 12 recurring motivic gestures, I graphed them into 12 regions.   Then, I revised the sketch so that without departing from relatively strict serialism, the entrances of these 12 recurring gestures would occur symmetrically throughout the work.   With these studies, I look forward to my increased knowledge of Indian music and its utilization in my own works.

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08.24.08 / 2:25pm PDT // Hello visitors, I am writing this posting to some degree as a response to Jason McChristian's previous blog posting.  As artists of any kind, part of the job description is to raise questions and or provide the participant with an experience, whether visual or aural, that stimulates the mind and brings feelings to the surface that may not have otherwise been there.  Within any discipline of the arts, any work with depth or content that raises the big question(s) will inevitably offend somebody.  There isn't any way around it, nor should there be in my humble opinion.  Whether or not you agree with what an artist has to say, their job is to provoke thoughts and emotions, positive or negative, for better or worse, bottom line.  Anything controversial is bound to encounter obstacles, but regardless of your own personal belief, art work that pushes boundaries is a necessity and should have the support of performers as well as audience members.  Without support, the artist living in fear of offending someone will discontinue the production of stimulating artwork.  Usually, the things that make us uncomfortable are the things that hit closest to home, which should be the target of any artist worth a second glance.  If everyone were comfortable, then where does that put us?

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05.21.08 / 11:11pm PDT // Hello again world, I am very pleased to say that today was the very last day of my studies as an undergraduate student at San Jose State University.  It's been a tough semester for many reasons that I won't get in to, but it is still sad to see my time here come to an end.  However, I feel great about everything that I have acheived during my stay and am satisfied with the last few months, as there have been some exciting events and opportunities that have arisen.

In early May, I auditioned at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a position as a graduate assistant by giving a teaching demonstration.  I spent a good deal of time preparing for it and was given the position.  As a part-time instructor/graduate assistant, I will be teaching two fundamental music theory courses there next semester and most likely over the course of the next two years.  I think this is a very exciting opportunity for me, in addition to a way to pay for my continued studies in composition.  I will be studying composition at UNLV as a Masters student will also be taking private conducting lessons as well.  I feel that the performance opportunities there are excellent and I intend to take advantage of them next year by writing for their ensembles a much as possible.

Back in San Jose, I had already finished my senior recital, which included performances of a song cycle, sextet, choral work, electro-acoustic piece and also a set for jazz trio.  I feel that the performance quality was quite good, considering the number of performers and the amount of organization required to put the concert together.  Since my last blog posting, I have completed several works including the wind ensemble piece, which was read through by the SJSU Wind Ensemble twice, a set of jazz compositions, one of which was arranged for jazz orchestra and recorded in a reading session, a work for horn & interactive electronics and a song cycle.  I have also started a choral arrangement of In Darkness Let Me Dwell by John Dowland which I am very exciting about completing.

As a graduating senior at SJSU, I was nominated by Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity for the national outstanding senior award and await the results after sending my resume and portfolio in.  I was also awarded the outstanding graduating senior award by the School of Music and Dance at San Jose State University, meaning that I will have a work performed at the graduation ceremony.  An organization that I co-founded, Melos Music is really starting to take shape and I am excited to see it grow quite rapidly.  My scores will soon be available for sale, as well as works by my colleages and co-founders.

Being finished with school here and preparing to move away is really rather surreal.  I am grateful for the opportunities given to me here and am looking forward to networking and collaborating with others in the future.  As I wrap up many of my long term projects and begin new works, I'll be sure to keep updating my website as things start to take shape over the summer, so please keep checking back for more!

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11.02.07 / 1:28am PST // So, plans have changed pretty drastically since my last blog entry.  For reasons that I don't really want to get into, the operetta didn't work out and for a moment I was left wondering what to do with myself.  That was over two months ago, and since then I've been working on a piece titled A Zarzuela and Other Lost Works for Wind Ensemble.  The way the piece is constructed, many themes and textures were assembled from sketches I had done for chamber ensembles in the years prior to the piece being conceived. These sketches were "lost" in the sense that they never really found a place in the music I was being approached to write.  In some cases, the projects that I had been working on fell through for one reason or another that was beyond my control.

The title also refers to a "Zarzuela" which is a form of Spanish opera or musical theatre.  The reasoning behind this was because after writing much of the principal material for the operetta, when the project fell through I was left with sketches that I felt deserved to be used for something.  Because the operetta was to be left in Spanish rather than translating it into English (the language which myself and the performers were familiar with), the music had a hint of Spanish flavor, which eventually wound up in the piece for wind ensemble.  My goal was essentially to make a whole from several parts that were "lost".  Interestingly, the original text also deals with similar themes, the primary focus being a woman who was left by her husband for unknown reasons, and is waiting for him to return, without knowing his whereabouts.

In addition to being nearly finished with this project and having spent countless hours and in the music department in the wee hours of the morning, the animation for We Bombed in Baghdad is nearly complete, and I will begin working on the score in December.  Between now and then, I'll be working on a song cycle for a friend of mine, whose grandmother supplied text for.  This is a project that I am very excited about, and I feel will be a very pleasant and well deserved vacation from writing for large ensemble.

Graduate school applications are due December 1st, so if it wasn't intense before, now it's really crunch time. In less than one month I have to write a song cycle, prep for a film score, submit twelve seperate grad school applications, and try not to ignore everything else going on around me.  We've also begun rehearsals for two performances of my choral work Lines That May Fall Under Your Eye, which I will be conducting.  This is my first time working with a group as a conductor, and I'm very excited about it.  Our first performance will be on February 3rd, and it will be the premiere of the piece outside of the walls of the music building.  Well, it's getting late, so, time to get back to work.

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