The "Tifa Chocolate Suite" is a large orchestral work that was a gift to my friends at TIFA Chocolate in Agoura Hills. These recordings are completely produced via MIDI. You can find the corresponding written score that I created in Finale on the "Scores" page. In the second movement there is a duet between the piano and harp that was to "simulate" a moment geared towards improvisation.
The piece "The Depth I Went" is a duet between C Bass Recorder and Cello. It features Kara Ciezki playing multi-phonics. This is also a rare performance and recording as it premiered in the historical "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" Basilica in Boston MA - A place renowned for not allowing any secular music being performed in its walls.
When I was in music school I had a job as Patron Service Representative at the Boston Symphony. Basically a fancy title for usher. One snowy day after a very great performance of Tan Dun's newly commissioned work "Maps" I slipped on the sidewalk going home. From this fall I broke my arm and thought that my musical career was over. At the time a close friend of mine was teaching in Japan and while telling him what had happened he basically told me to quit my crying and come see the wonders of Eastern medicine. I received a stay from my course work at Berklee College of Music as I couldn't conduct, write or even type my school work. So off to Japan I went. The work narrates my travel while there and the title piece " Morning (The Light of Aizu)" is performed here by the Bartok String Quintet of the New England Conservatory.
When approached to work on an original musical back in 2009 I was busy working with some recording artists trying to create works that were more fully orchestrated and had a "film score" feel to them. I told the producers that I would have a look at the script and see what kind of time I had. They explained that it was to be this grand spectacle murder mystery and dark comedy that pushed the envelop sexually. It was called "Gothmas" and I didn't think too much of it after our initial discussion. I started reading their script and while on the surface it was exactly what they had described, underneath the sub-text and story was truly about "love." From that discovery I ran with it and told them that I would take the job - "IF" I could have full autonomy to create the score that this musical deserved as I intended to make it an orchestrated rock opera. Shocked, they agreed and let me sequester myself away as I wrote themes, melodies, lyrics until I was ready to fully produce an electronic version of the score with some real instruments peppered in to make it sound more full, rich and alive.
These pieces here showcase a style of writing I'm know for. Adaptation. In film composing it is using instrumentation and theme ideas that would place the audience in a setting while underscoring it using motifs that they can more easily relate to. They also feature Kara Ciezki. She is an excellent Shakuhachi and Baroque recorder player and utilizes some Chaos Pad in the later experimental "Instra-Mental" live rock pieces.
The following cues are excerpts from films I have scored. The last two are overlapping leitmotif cues from the feature length film "A Night In the Hill."
Lastly, the link below that I'm providing with take you to the work I currently have on iTunes and Apple Music. This can also be found on all major streaming services such as Spotify, iHeartRadio etc. If you would like a copy free of charge let me know and I'll send you a code for downloading the EP.
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