Composer
Program Notes This is an arrangement of the classic Christmas carol, I Wonder as I Wander for piano trio. I’ve always loved the contemplative nature of this piece – and especially the beautiful arrangement by Luciano Berio. This is my take on the work — with a little flavor of Indian classical music in the … Read more
Program Notes I am constantly drawn to the ‘dohe’ (couplets) of Kabir. His statements are pithy but their meanings are vast. They have been set and sung for hundreds of years in the Hindustani classical tradition, and they seem to meet each generation of performers and listeners in a unique way. This tiny couplet is … Read more
*This work has not yet been completed. All info below will be available after the completion of the work in 2026. Program Notes Recording Audio Guide Premiere/Performances Press/Reviews
*This work has not yet been completed. All info below will be available after the premiere of the work in 2027. Program Notes Recording Audio Guide Premiere/Performances Press/Reviews
Program Notes The first time I heard Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, it changed my life. I was fourteen years old, and as I sat under the stars at the beautiful Ford Theater on a summer night in in Los Angeles with my parents, I completely identified with the voice of the child who … Read more
Program Notes In John Kabat-Zinn’s seminal book on meditation Wherever You Go, There You Are, he speaks of how we are always encouraged to look forward, to think into the future — but what if this is it? What if we sat with each moment, savoring it as if it was that special, unique, pinnacle … Read more
Program Notes Wendell Berry’s beautiful sonnet begins with the line: “Who makes a clearing makes a work of art.” While this poem is about an actual clearing in the woods, Berry’s words made me reflect on how many ways there are to make a clearing — both outwardly and in our own souls — to … Read more
Program Notes I am constantly drawn to the ‘dohe’ (couplets) of Kabir. His statements are pithy but their meanings are vast. They have been set and sung for hundreds of years in the Hindustani classical tradition, and they seem to meet each generation of performers and listeners in a unique way. This tiny couplet is … Read more
Program Notes This is an arrangement of the classic Christmas carol, I Wonder as I Wander for piano trio. I’ve always loved the contemplative nature of this piece – and especially the beautiful arrangement by Luciano Berio. This is my take on the work — with a little flavor of Indian classical music in the … Read more
***This work is not yet completed*** Program Notes Recording Special Performance Requirements Audio Guide Premiere/Performances Press/Reviews
Program Notes Forthcoming Recording (see above) Text movement 1: All alone, together. movement 2:text by Rebecca Gayle Howell Leave your worry Leave your sorrow Enter warm light Glowing child-like Leave the shadow Leave tomorrow You are, we are Breathing, now, our breath Special Performance Requirements This piece is designed for engagement. It requires performers to … Read more
Program Notes these program notes were written by Aaron Grad, ahead of the premiere performance of the work, in November 2019 “I wish I could live in India and America at the same time,” says Reena Esmail (b. 1983), the daughter of Indian immigrants who has become one of the most respected young composers in … Read more