Composer
Program Notes Curiosity was one of my earliest works to grapple with humanity’s relationship to the natural world. In late 2011, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), based in my hometown, sent the rover Curiosity to Mars, from where it continues to send precious information back to Earth. That act of curiosity – of hope – … 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 Text Performances Press/Reviews
Description The community songbook is a collection of songs and short pieces that I’ve written over the years for communities. This collection is licensed under Creative Commons, and is available for free download (see sidebar to download) This volume contains: More songs will be added as they are written. You do not need any permission/clearance … Read more
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 Something that looks brave on the outside doesn’t always feel brave on the inside. Sometimes what that feels right to us on the inside can separate us from the flow of everyone and everything around us. And yet, we are still compelled to take that first step away from the familiar, well-trodden path … Read more
Program Notes Something that looks brave on the outside doesn’t always feel brave on the inside. Sometimes what that feels right to us on the inside can separate us from the flow of everyone and everything around us. And yet, we are still compelled to take that first step away from the familiar, well-trodden path … Read more
NOTE: This is the page for the SSAA (treble choir) version of This Love Between Us. For the SATB (original) version please go to This Love Between Us. Program Notes This Love Between Us is a piece about unity. Its seven movements juxtapose the words of seven major religious traditions of India (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, … Read more
Program Notes This Lacrimosa interweaves the original Latin text from the requiem mass with the beautiful poetry of William O’Daly. The Lacrimosa begins: “Full of tears shall be that [judgement] day…” But O’Daly’s text asks a broader question: Without the presence of water, around us and inside us, how can we weep? It was this … Read more
Program Notes see program note for full work here Recording Recording of SATB version is forthcoming — in the meantime, here is the SSAA version: Text (Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Reprint on a public site not authorized by estate.) Performances This piece was commissioned by Lehigh University Choral Arts for their women’s ensemble, … Read more
Program Notes When a person is gaslit, they are taught to not trust their own mind, their memories and reasoning. Their thoughts become rearranged, and with their thoughts, their reality. This can be true for an abused domestic partner, and it can be true for a public confused by disinformation and propaganda. To start toward … Read more
Program Notes When a person is gaslit, they are taught to not trust their own mind, their memories and reasoning. Their thoughts become rearranged, and with their thoughts, their reality. This can be true for an abused domestic partner, and it can be true for a public confused by disinformation and propaganda. To start toward … Read more
Program Notes Presence was the culminating work of a yearlong collaboration with Austin Classical Guitar — the title of the piece was the theme of ACG’s season. What does it mean to be present with one another? Guitar was my first instrument. I remember sitting in the waiting room before my first guitar lesson as … Read more