AMBER DAI (M.M. '24): "immersed imprint"
This piece is just me, both in person and in the electronic realm, exploring the connection between horn and human voice. Almost all of the elements in this piece are improvised, which is something that I consider to capture my true, free and artistic self.
YAKOV SHULEPOV (B.M. '23): "con Entention"
with Intention…al…ly/(i)…-tY
I don’t know what this piece is. That’s not true, I know exactly what the electronics are, and I know what the players’ instructions are, and I know how the two are supposed to interact. That’s not entirely true because I don’t want them to interact. I want it all to be random. At the same time though, you’ll be able to hear a structure, even though there is no form or structure. It’s all predetermined. But I don’t know for sure what the final sound will be. At the end of the day, some of it will be random and the parts that are not will also seem random. Because that’s how I want them to be heard, even though it’s all predetermined. But you’ll still be able to tell that it’s not completely random. At first glance, yes, it may seem random but that’s exactly what I want—for the audience to think of it as completely random but then, as you listen, you might find that no, it’s not actually all that random. And even if they don’t, that’s totally fine, because they will think of it as purely random and that’s exactly what I want. Although, I can say that I fully expect something. It’s an experiment.
GRIG BALASANYAN (B.M. '26): "Pas Deux"
Imagine a dance of two lovers on a stage.
BRIAN DANIEL ROSS (M.M. '23): "The Door to Light"
Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. I’ve learned that deep down, there’s a light that never goes out.
RUTH HERTZMAN-MILLER (M.M. '24): "Look up and sing along"
This piece grew out of my experiences of the sounds around me while walking in Newton and Boston. When I walk, I sometimes practice Pauline Oliveiros’s sonic meditation, “Environmental Dialogue.” Her score reads in part as follows: “As you become aware of sounds from the environment, choose one and concentrate on it. If you like, you can hum it out loud.” I progressed from listening to and experiencing these environmental sounds to recording them, transcribing them, and finally orchestrating them for chamber ensemble. You may be able to hear lawnmowers, cars, construction sounds, and a truck backing up.
The title comes from one of the banners posted around the perimeter of the construction site on Massachusetts Avenue between Boylston and Newbury streets, which I pass every weekday on my way to and from Boston Conservatory and which was one of the sources of my field recordings. There are several banners, with messages such as “Where words fail, music speaks.—Hans Christian Andersen” and “Look up and sing along,” each accompanied by a QR code. If you are a Boston local, I encourage you to follow the QR codes on these banners to find out where they lead.
GABRIEL TOMÀS GARZA (B.M. '26): "ripple"
What was then, influences what is now.
“Because if you don’t see yourself represented outside of yourself, you just feel [...] invisible.” —Tom Leguizamo, Latin History for Morons
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”—George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1905, from the series Great Ideas of Western Man)
DIEGO PERALTA GONZALES (B.M. '25): "Diálogo I"
A dialogue between two instruments that, at the same time, explore their own sound possibilities.
LUIS ANGEL SALAZAR TAMAYO (B.M. '26): "Serenidad"
An open form piece with the intent of making you relax and appreciate everything around you. "Serenidad" means serenity. I hope the piece can transmit to you this beautiful sensation.
BARRET ALLEN (B.M. '25): "stagnate"
An ever-present drone state.