Work Samples
Works Commissioned by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Tam o' Shanter: A Musical Tale
for narrator, flute/piccolo, violin, and harpsichord (2023)
Tam o' Shanter: A Musical Tale was conceived as a musical accompaniment to a recitation of Robert Burns’ 1790 narrative poem Tam o 'Shanter, which tells a story of a drunk farmer who encounters witches and warlocks on his way home from the pub one night and, offending them, is subsequently chased and barely escapes their grasps. The piece was first performed in October of 2023 at SUNY Albany.
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Invocations
for flute, violin, and guitar (2023)
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Invocations was written to premiere with the Musicians of Ma'alwyck's 2023 Celestial Melodies program. The work explores the complex relationship between music, astronomy/cosmology, and ritual in the ancient Greco-Roman world. The program was performed at a number of locations, including the historic Schuyler Mansion in Albany and the Museum of Innovation & Science (miSci) in Schenectady.
The musical program was augmented visually at several of its performances; at miSci, by a sky show created by Kerry Lewis, and at several other venues, by a slideshow of celestial imagery curated by Audrey Caplan.
Hyde Sextet
for flute, harp, and string quartet (2019)
Commissioned for a Halloween-themed concert at the historic (and, by some accounts, haunted) Hyde Hall mansion in Cooperstown, NY, Hyde Sextet depicts a ghostly soirée.
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Under Four Flags
silent film score for violin, cello, and piano (2018)
Under Four Flags, IV. "Before going to prison camps, they give their names..."
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Under Four Flags is a 1919 short, silent documentary film issued by the U.S. government, which follows American military forces in the final days of WWI. While the film's patriotic and propagandistic narrative glorifies the war and downplays its horrors, this contemporary score creates a deliberate contrast that not so much supports the film as clashes with it, juxtaposing the sugar-coated version that we see on the screen and the stark reality just beyond it.
Aleda: The Flight of the Suff Birdwomen
one-act chamber opera (2018)
Music and libretto by Max Caplan
Aleda is based on a true event in the life of pilot Leda Richberg-Hornsby who, in 1916, was recruited by women's suffrage leaders to fly a biplane over President Woodrow Wilson's yacht to "bomb" it with petitions supporting a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.
The opera premiered in 2018 with mezzo-soprano Tess McCarthy in the titular role and featuring soprano Jean Leonard, contralto Erica Sparrow, and baritone Byron Nilsson in supporting roles.
Aleda (trailer)
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
Other Compositions
Schnee Ball Waltz
(2023)
Performed by Musician's of Ma'alwyck; cond. Christopher Brellochs
Berceuse
for violin and piano (2020)
Performed by
Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz, violin
Max Caplan, piano
Actæon
for full orchestra (2017)
Actæon is inspired by the Greco-Roman mythological tale of a hunter, Actæon, who is transformed into a stag by the goddess Diana after incurring her wrath. In his new form, he is hunted down by his own companions and, finally, killed by his own hounds. The music explores the dark irony of Actæon’s fate, as familiar hunting motifs, traditionally triumphant and heroic, are harmonically recontextualized through harsh dissonances in the lower register.
Actæon (excerpt)
Performed by
Hartt Orchestra; cond. Edward Cumming
Three Jazz Preludes
for trumpet, trombone, percussion, and piano (2016)
Performed by
Evan Roberts, trumpet
Michael Rushman, trombone
Jianpeng Feng, percussion
Mohamed Shams, piano
Metamorphoses (15.178)
for violin, clarinet, cello, and piano (2016)
Metamorphoses (15.178)
Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck
The piece's title refers to a line from the final book of Ovid's epic poem Metamorphoses:
"All things are fluid, and every shape is born to change."
Ovid puts the words in the mouth of the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who soliloquizes on the meaning of life, the nature of time, and the interconnectedness of all things.
Metamorphoses (15.178) reflects the passage's central notion of change within permanence, with familiar yet changing motives woven throughout.