Filtering by Category: Compositions

New project - song cycle on "Erasing Infinite" for soprano Joelle Kross!

Added on May 10, 2015 by Patrick Greene.

David Foster Wallace, in prime bandana mode. (Credit: Hachette/Salon)

I'll admit it: I'm sometimes a little too enthusiastic. I can't count the number of times I've said something (a hamburger, a graphic novel, a laptop, a zoo) has "changed my life." I think I really do mean it in the moment; over time, though, most of these "a ha!" experiences fade away into a sea of little influences and inspirations gurgling somewhere, unperturbed, in my subconscious.

There have been four events in my life, though, that have altered the courses of things in ways so deep and immutable that I know, unequivocally, that I've left a "before" and entered an "after." They are:

When I fell in love with my wife.
When our son was born.
When I first heard Ravel's string quartet.
When I read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.

This particular announcement, I'm happy to say, concerns #4.

My dear friend Joelle Kross (who just happens to be a very talented soprano) approached me last year about collaborating on a recital piece - a song cycle, with piano accompaniment, to be performed in Chicago during 2016. Ms. Kross is a fantastically emotive singer, and she possesses an expressive, fluid coloratura. She's basically a composer's dream. So I said "yes," immediately; finding a suitable text, though, proved to take considerably longer.

Then, a few months back, I stumbled upon an incredible poetry project called Erasing Infinite. The poet, Jenni Baker, has spent the last couple of years creating "erasure poetry" from every single page (and trust me, there are a lot of pages) of Infinite Jest. It was a beautiful idea; what was even more remarkable was the execution. The poems - some of which whittle an entire page's contents into three or four words - are breathtaking. Some are laugh-out-loud funny; many are heart-wrenching.

I immediately emailed Ms. Baker about a possible collaboration, and she was just as excited about the idea as I was.

So now I get the chance to write a piece for an amazing soprano (who also happens to be a great friend), in a new city (I've never had anything premiered in Chicago), on stunning poetry that distills and explodes and refracts the words of my favorite book.

You know what? I think this just might change my life.

Hot off the presses! COME SOON, YOU FERAL CATS

Added on February 26, 2015 by Patrick Greene.

Come hear the world premiere performance, by the ever-inimitable loadbang ensemble, on April 28th at the Davis Square Theater in Somerville, MA. Concert starts at 7pm, and it's FREE.

MY DEAREST FRIEND just picked up a C7Prize!

Added on February 3, 2015 by Patrick Greene.

The C7Prize ("Choirs, Conductors, and Composers Collaborating on a Choral Composition Competition") is a very cool new competition: it links composers, conductors, and performers throughout the adjudication process, and increases the exposure of a diverse array of new choral works.

As a "Recommended Work," My Dearest Friend will be performed at least once this year, and will be shopped around (by the fine folks running the competition) to various conductors and choirs.

The piece, which was composed for the wedding of two very good friends of mine back in 2011, has long been one of my favorites. I'm glad it's getting some increased exposure, and can't wait to see what some new performers bring to it (it's only been performed once, publicly).

2015 is shaping up to be a pretty good year, if these past few weeks are any indication.

Of Hedgehogs and Horn Trios

Added on January 29, 2015 by Patrick Greene.

My recent horn-trio miniature, The Hedgehog's Dilemma, has been chosen as one of the winners of the Red Hedgehog Trio's inaugural Call for Scores! The premiere will be on February 15, 2015, at the Whitney Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, MA, as part of the 10x10 Upstreet Festival. Looking forward to hearing them tackle this thorny little guy!

Here's a sneak peak at what to expect:

Looking back before moving ahead ...

Added on December 27, 2014 by Patrick Greene.

For the past decade or so, I've used a series of Moleskine Art Plus Music Notebooks to map out ideas: motivic materials, rhythmic schema, notes to myself, sketches (musical and otherwise), etc. They've become an integral part of my creative process, but they've also served as creative waypoints; I flip through them every few years to see how I've developed, where life's taken me, that sort of thing.

Now that I've crammed the last bit of material into one (a sixteenth-note G sharp on a bass clarinet, for those of you keeping score at home), I figured I'd flip through this puppy and highlight some especially memorable moments from the past couple of years.