One, an opera in one scene

This was fantastic! I loved the story, the music, the vibraphone part, the piano writing.

Sometimes, the piano part got a little too cumbersome. Even though it gets so in quite appropriate places.

Two thumbs up and I can't wait to listen to the recording!

Thanks to everyone for the comments! I'm glad this piece is getting a warm reception from fellow composers.

Reese: Minimalism is pretty much at the heart of all my music, or at least that's how I see it. I see this piece being minimal because I only used ONE chord throughout, transposing it up or down. The transposition of the chord also follows a minimalistic technique of addition - as I explained before, the 'bank' of chords it switches between grows as the scene grows more intense. This is an idea taken from many hours of listening to Reich, Glass, and John Adams.

Kukes: My text setting usually is the first thing I think of when writing for a singer (obviously), but I occasionally get caught up in the music and put it secondary to a melodic line or melodic motion. I think that's when I sometimes forget to destress or stress certain words... But nothing really stuck out too blatantly for me, although I don't have the score handy right now to check.

The recording will be up as soon as I get back to Baltimore to check it out of the library. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Need to hear the MP3!! This is amazing! Love both the story and the music. The piano writing is awesome too =P

Thanks, Steve! I'm returning to Baltimore in August - that's the soonest I'll be able to get a recording, as long as it's in the library. They have this stupid thing where concerts are recorded by the recording department here at my school, but they don't really respond well to people asking for cds. They put all the cds of concerts in the music library, and I'm not even sure if we're allowed to check them out. I guess I'll have to bring my laptop and rip it there!

WOW... So inspiring!!! I just feel like doing something this good now!!!!

Haven't listened to the whole thing. Hope there's be a recording, though. Some parts sound very Sondheimian... some more LaChiusa-esque.

I can definitely see Sondheim's influence. I also liked who you repeated some themes from the beginning and middle in unfamiliar contexts toward the end. It reminded me a little of Wozzeck, in a weird way.

Fantastic! If there is a live recording in the library, I may have to give it a listen as well. I loved the the writing for all three instruments/voices. Did you have problems with the vibraphonist? That's too bad - I would have loved to have played it.

This reminded me a lot of the John Adams opera Nixon and China. I'm sure you listened to it a lot in preparation (as well as a lot of others too). The dramatic works of Reich and Adams can be clearly heard as an inspiration for this. Wonderful! I'll be looking forward to hearing more of your music.