| Acoustic - Chamber and Solo » Mobbing Calls (2011) - Flute and Percussion
» A Man With a Gun Lives Here (2011) - Percussion Trio
 
Check out a video of the premier performance
Most prevalent during the Great Depression, hobos were nomads who roamed the United States taking work wherever they could. In their extensive travels, hobos learned to leave notes for each other, giving information about places to camp, where to find a meal, or dangers that lay ahead. This unique Hobo Code was known to the brotherhood of freight train riders and used by all to keep the community of traveling workers safe, fed and in work. Life as a hobo was difficult and dangerous. These vagabonds developed their own secret pictographic language to help other hobos to food, water and work or to direct them away from dangerous situations. The Hobo Code is a fascinating system of symbols understood among the hobo community. Because hobos weren’t typically welcomed (and were often illiterate), messages left for others in the community had to be easy for hobos to read but look like little more than random markings to everyone else to maintain an element of secrecy. Scrawled in places where hobos were likely to convene, the purpose of the code was not only to help other hobos find what they needed, but to keep the entire lifestyle possible for everyone. Each movement of this piece is based on one of these symbols and, just like those resourceful hobos, makes use of very limited materials. All activity is centered on a single bass drum. Other items utilized include steel plates, rubber balls, and a paper bag containing 3 lbs of loose buckshot. » Appalachian Polaroids (2011) - String Quartet
» Two Cautionary Tales (2010) - Sop., Bar., and Mixed Chamber Ensemble
Mvt. 1 - Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a Lion. Mvt. 2 - Matilda, Who told Lies, and was Burned to Death Jim, Matilda,
Who told Lies and was Burned to Death:
Performance May 04, 2010 in Austin, TX Francois Minaux - Flute Chris Whittemore - Clarinet Zack Wilson - Piano Adam Beddell - Percussion, Rachel Shapiro - Violin Alan Richardson - Cello and Amber Alarcon - Sopraano Conducted by Zack Stanton » The Devil's Nine Questions (2008) - Piano Quintet
Performance by The Aeolus Quartet with Kevin Garnica, Piano In 1956, Max Hunter, a traveling salesman from Springfield, Missouri, took his reel-to-reel tape recorder into the backwoods of the Ozark Mountains. Over the course of the next 20 years, he recorded and catalogued over 1600 folk songs as sung by the people who lived in those rugged hills of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas. While browsing this collection, I was struck by the beautiful simplicity of the voices of those Missouri and Arkansas folks who shared their talents and recollections with Hunter. However, one song in particular caught my attention. In 1963 Hunter recorded Nancy Philley of Fayetteville, Arkansas singing The DevilÂ’s Nine Questions. What really intrigued me about this recording was the stark contrast between PhilleyÂ’s pure voice and the dark subject matter of the lyrics. This contrast inspired me to compose this piece, which uses the original folk tune as a melodic cornerstone, and programmatically addresses each of the nine questions and answers. As a native of the Ozarks countryside, this piece took on a special importance for me. In the process of composing this work, I realized that it actually represented many of the feelings I associate with being separated from the people and places that I love. Among these emotions are nostalgia, fear, anger, and longing. » Under the Radar (2008) - Viola Quartet
 In December of 1856, Le Bris mounted his glider on a horse-drawn cart and ordered his driver to speed down a country road into to the wind. Seated atop the Artificial Albatross, Le Bris unhooked the restraining rope and broke free of the cart. However, the unfortunate driver became entangled in the rope and dangled perilously below the glider as it soared 300 feet above the ground. After sailing about 600 feet, Le BrisÂ’s machine crash-landed in a nearby field. Both Le Bris and the driver escaped without injury and the glider suffered only minor damage. His next attempt however, resulted in severe damage to the Artificial Albatross and a broken leg for Le Bris. Despite this failure and the many that followed, Le Bris never gave up and is now recognized as an important (though eccentric) figure in the development of modern manned flight. From one perspective, Under the Radar is a programmatic portrayal of Le BrisÂ’s relentless tenacity. Musical textures and ideas build to a feverish intensity over and over, but each one, destined for failure, falls short of reaching a culminating climax. From another perspective though, this piece is about giving violas a chance to play in a style far removed from much of their traditional literature. With Under the Radar I wanted to write something that was the direct opposite of typical viola music. Rather than a slow and somber dirge, I chose to cast the violas into the role of athletic and melodramatic rockstars. » Take This Hammer (2007) - Tuba-Euphonium Quartet
Sotto Voce performs Take this Hammer at the Festival Cuivres en Fete in Limoges, France The work song has been a vital part of African culture for centuries and in many societies, these songs encouraged efficiency and quality of work. However, in the harsh conditions of American plantations these songs took on a different kind of importance. The steady unison rhythms kept any one person from being singled out and severely punished for working slower than the rest. This practice continued on into the middle of the 20th Century in the slave labor conditions of southern U.S. prisons. While many of these songs were used all throughout the workday, the traditional work song Take This Hammer was most often reserved for driving iron spikes during railroad construction. The lyrics below come from a version of the song by Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, a prisoner at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in the 1930Â’s.
» Push (2006) - Piano and Percussion Quartet
» Dodgeball (2006) - 2 Piccolos and 2 Flutes
Premiered by the Missouri State University Flute Quartet at the 2006 Missouri Music Educators Conference in Osage Beach, Missouri. Acoustic - Large Ensemble » For So Long It's Not True (2011) - Chamber Orchestra
» Shoshoni Peak (2009) - String Orchestra
Performance by the University of Texas University Orchestra 03-01-11
In June of 2007, some friends of mine invited me to join them in a trek to the summit of Shoshoni Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Though I had lived in Colorado for nearly two years at that time, I had yet to attempt what locals would deem a legitimate climb. At nearly 13,000 feet, Shoshoni Peak is a formidable mountain for an inexperienced climber, but I decided that I should take advantage of the opportunity. Mist still shrouded most of Shoshoni when we arrived at Lake Isabelle, though its jagged peak had begun to gleam in the early morning sun. We spent the next four hours traversing vast snow fields that still covered much of the trail that early in the season. Most of the final 500 feet of vertical ascent consisted of loose boulders spotted with splashes of bright green lichen. I still don’t know how I survived the last part of the climb, but when I finally arrived at the summit, I knew it was worth the pain of pushing my body farther than it wanted to go. Perhaps it was the somewhat hallucinogenic effect of the altitude, but looking across the continental divide from that unique perspective was a truly overwhelming experience. » The Garden of Innocence (2008) - Wind Symphony
Premiered by the University of Colorado Wind Symphony, conducted by Brandon Houghtalen This piece was originally inspired by the painting Garden of Earthly Delights (c. 1490) by Hieronymus Bosch, which gives a twisted, and often gruesome, account of the biblical rise and fall of humankind. However, rather than writing a piece that programmatically represents this work of art in its entirety, I chose to focus on BoschÂ’s poignant depiction of confronting oneÂ’s own lost innocence. Through the gradual process of leaving the shelter of unabashed ignorance, man becomes aware of both good and evil.  Recipient of the 2007-2008 George Lynn composition prize. » After the Ashes (2006) - Wind Symphony
» Ghost Dance Messiah (2005) - Soprano, Strings, Bass Drum, and Computer
Electroacoustic » Shovelhead (2011) - Bass Clarinet and Electronics
» A Watched Pot (2010) - Teakettle, Mixing Bowls and Electronics
A Watched Pot - for teakettle, mixing bowls and electronics (excerpt) by Steven Snowden
A watched pot (full track) by Steven Snowden
Commissioned by Rosalyn Nasky For tea kettle, six metal mixing bowls and electronics » Ground Round (2010) - Trombone and Electronics
Program Notes: For the past couple of years, I have had a bit of a fascination with the unique sound of cattle auctioneers in the United States. Their chant presents specific rhythms, pitches and cadences that serve to intensify the auction process and encourage rapid bidding. The end result is a uniquely musical and mesmerizing form of communication. After listening to and watching several auctions, I decided that this could be successfully explored by utilizing the unique voice-like characteristics of the trombone in conjunction with live electronics. After working on this piece for a while, I couldn't help but think of how strange the auction process must be for the cows themselves. Ultimately, this dictated the form of the piece and caused me to produce something more darkly humorous than I had originally intended. Here's one particular narrative that was running through my mind while composing this piece... For as long as you can remember, you've done nothing but chew your cud and moo; sharing your field with dozens of other cows doing exactly the same. Then one fateful morning, you're whisked away to a strange, bustling place where everyone is focused on you for once. Is this your chance to be a star? Should you show them your new tap routine? Was that David Hasselhoff in a cowboy hat over there? Whoa, just play it cool. Ok. Focus. Just do what you do best. Just... Look... Delicious.
Performance Notes: » Sugar Rush (2010) - Fixed Media Digital Audio
Sugar Rush is now part of the 2010 Vox Novus 60X60 International Mix and ICMC's 360 degrees of 60x60. » Other - Now - Next (2010) - Live Electronics
Collaboration with Choreographer Ellen Bartel » So I Think I Cannot Dance (2010) - Suling, Tbn., Horn, Perc. and Electronics
Choreography by Maia McCoy » Fathoms (2009) - Horn and Computer
Premiered by:
» Graffiti Speak (2009) - Interactive Multimedia Installation
...
» Paperchase (2009) - Fixed Media Digital Audio
Paper Chase is an extremely condensed depiction of the manic flurry of the creative process. In this case, it is one that ultimately leads to disappointment. Paperchase is now part of the 2009 Vox Novus 60X60 International Mix. » Pastorialis (2008) - Horn and Computer
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