Sound bytes
“Dazzling” - Brett Campbell, Willamette Week (on "Looper")
“MASTERFUL…a jewel in the crown of MMM IV [March Music Moderne 2014]” - Daniel Flessas, KBOO Community Radio Station, host of “A Different Nature” show (on Jennifer's Piano Bizarro show)
"Compelling work...theatrical elements and a sense of humor." - FearNoMusic (on "X Chromosome")
"Devastatingly poignant music" - Tristan Bliss, Oregon ArtsWatch (on "Obscure Terrain")
“What a wonderful concept!" - Tania Leon, Cuban-American composer (on "X Chromosome")
I FRIKKIN’ LOVE THAT PIECE!!” - Maria Choban, Oregon ArtsWatch (about "Looper")
“Absolutely fantastic!” - Robert McBride, former senior announcer at All Classical Public Media (on "X Chromosome")
“MASTERFUL…a jewel in the crown of MMM IV [March Music Moderne 2014]” - Daniel Flessas, KBOO Community Radio Station, host of “A Different Nature” show (on Jennifer's Piano Bizarro show)
"Compelling work...theatrical elements and a sense of humor." - FearNoMusic (on "X Chromosome")
"Devastatingly poignant music" - Tristan Bliss, Oregon ArtsWatch (on "Obscure Terrain")
“What a wonderful concept!" - Tania Leon, Cuban-American composer (on "X Chromosome")
I FRIKKIN’ LOVE THAT PIECE!!” - Maria Choban, Oregon ArtsWatch (about "Looper")
“Absolutely fantastic!” - Robert McBride, former senior announcer at All Classical Public Media (on "X Chromosome")
Selected Compositions
Underlined titles are video links.
Scroll down for a variety of videos, program notes & other assorted oddities in alphabetical order!
To inquire about purchasing scores, email jenniferawright (at) yahoo.com
Underlined titles are video links.
Scroll down for a variety of videos, program notes & other assorted oddities in alphabetical order!
To inquire about purchasing scores, email jenniferawright (at) yahoo.com
Solo piano & harpsichord
Whalefall
version for destroyed piano, pebbles, natural materials & fixed media (2023)
Premiere performed as part of "Break to Build" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards, 2023
Fluid
for solo piano (2023)
Premiere performed as part of "Break to Build" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards, 2023
Never Have I Wished So Hard For Rain (Elegy for Eagle Creek)/Resigning Prayers
version for spoken word, piano & dance (2020)
Premiere performed with poetry "Resigning Prayers" & dance by Akela Jaffi
Incognita (piano version)
for amplified/prepared piano, electronics & video poem (2018)
No Disrespect
for prepared piano, fixed media, two dancers & spray paint (2018)
Premiere: dance & choreography by Kiel Moton & Conrad Kaczor
90 Miles
for spoken-word fixed media & amplified piano belly percussion (2018)
Premiere performed in Havana with live improvised dance by Cuban dancers Daniela Ponjuan, Tamara Venereo & Aneli Perdomo
Whalefall
for prepared piano & fixed media (2017)
Premiere performed with aerial choreography & dance by Jordie Campbell
Never Have I Wished So Hard For Rain (Elegy for Eagle Creek)
for piano & falling water (2017)
Premiere performed with live feed hydrophone-amplified public fountain; produced with support from the Halprin Landscape Conservancy
One Hot Mess (piano version)
for solo piano, squeaky toys & fixed media (2016-18)
You Cannot Liberate Me: Only I Can Do That For Myself
for amplified harpsichord & two Ebows (2016)
Premiere performances accompanied by live-cam cymatics display designed by Jennifer Wright
The Winter They Starved: a Saga of the Greenlandic Vikings
for solo piano (2007)
Tune For Sparkie
for solo piano (1993)
The Skeleton Piano
There Is No "Away"
for Skeleton Piano, electronics & fabric (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Anthropocene (Legacy)
for Skeleton Piano & electronics (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
The Battle Cry of the Phoenix
for Skeleton Piano, 50-gallon oil drum & 15 "Transmogrified Instruments" (2019-2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Punxsutawney Blues
for Skeleton Piano & fixed media (2019)
Premiere performed with original choreography/dance by Snubb and Kya Bliss
Waiting for the Package
for Skeleton Piano, electronic effects & dance (2018)
Dance and choreography by Heidi Duckler Dance Theater NW
Incognita
for amplified/prepared Skeleton Piano, electronics, video poem & sonic body armor (2018)
Obscure Terrain
for amplified/prepared Skeleton Piano, vocals & electronics (2014-2015)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
I. Intro: The Map is Not the Terrain
II. Chant for the Unknown
III. Our Bodies Are the Real Continents
IV. Terra Firma
V. Dislocated / Suffocated
VI. As the Valley Explodes / No Spoken Words
VII. Coda: Ozymandias
The Glass Piano
All premiere performances were presented as part of "The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music midst the Noise of Hate" exhibition concerts at The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in Portland, Oregon, supported by the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC), Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), the Trio Foundation, the Zera Foundation, and anonymous donors.
Perfecting the World
for Glass Piano & chandelier crystals (2024)
A Meditation on Things Broken and Lost
for voice & Glass Piano (2024)
Delicate Vessels
for Glass Piano, glass vases & wine glasses (2024)
Keeping is Not the Same as Carrying
for Glass Piano (2024)
The Difficulty With Saturdays
for Glass Piano (2024)
I Wish I’d Had Glamorous Ancestors
for Glass Piano & borosilicate glass rods (2024)
The Meaning of Words
for voice & Glass Piano (2024)
Handle With Care (Fragile Jams)
for Glass Piano & audience participation “Glass Orchestra” (2024)
Toy piano
Side Hustle
for three toy pianos, fixed media & two dancers (2018)
Premiere performance featured dance & choreography by Kiel Moton & Conrad Kaczor
The Whispered Counsel of Past Lives
for toy piano & music boxes (2018)
Premiere performed with live dance by Kya Bliss & Heidi Duckler
Flora, Fauna, Humans, Gods
for gamelan orchestra & slendro-tuned toy piano (2018)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Nobody Likes a Skinny Cowgirl
for two toy pianos & percussion (2016)
The first toy piano piece ever performed in Cuba!
Women’s Work
for two toy pianos, amplified typewriter & dance (2012)
Voice
Luminous, Like Phosphorus
for voice, piano & wind chimes (2023)
Commissioned by ProLab Dance for the "Break To Build" project, with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
Rant
for voice, piano & martini (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
(Do Ya Like My) Unicorn Trapper Keeper (Extra-Extended Dance Remix)
for vocals, electronic media & line dance (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
A Song of Abundance
for voice & piano (2021)
Premiere performance featuring an original animated video by Phoebe Toh
Hand pan drum
Dream, Evolve, Flourish, Die
for hand pan drum, voice, sand, amplified sacred objects & dance (2022)
Developed in collaboration & premiered with Laura Cannon of ProLab Dance
The Flow of Geologic Time is Sometimes the Only Comforting Thought
for solo hand pan drum (2021)
Wild and Varied Empires Have Inhabited This Place
for solo hand pan drum (2020)
Experimental instruments
Rainmaker
for fixed media, water, submerged hand pan drum, handmade waterphone, and underwater humming (2024)
premiere performances as part of "Break to Build Part Two: After the Anthropocene" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
Supported by an individual artist grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Singularity
for "Cloud Gamelan" percussion-Long Strings instrument & fixed media (2024)
premiere performances in "when we were Ocean" with ProLab Dance at the Kendall Planetarium, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
Long Strings
for Long String Instrument comprised of five amplified, high-tension, 25-foot-long, tuned steel cables & implements (2023)
premiere performances as part of Break to Build with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
Rock the Boat
for fixed media & multiple aerophones/didgeridoos (2023)
premiere performances as part of Break to Build with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
We Persist in Believing that Unnatural Seeds Might Bear Tenable Ecosystems
for "Chimaera" experimental multi-keyboard instrument & looper pedal (2022)
All Imaginable Actions Must Be Taken
for "Chimaera" experimental multi-keyboard instrument (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Cooking For One
for microwave oven & frozen TV dinner (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission, the Oregon Community Foundation, and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
Shed Life
for dismantled motorcycle & mechanic's tools (2020)
Video collaboration; dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor
Magic Chicken
for plastic bucket, tin cans, mixed percussion, rubber chicken & environmental objects (2019)
Premiere performance dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor and Jennifer Wright
Piano ensemble, keyed instrument ensemble, open instrumentation
Serious Music
for multiple performers on one or more pianos, shot glasses, and mallets (2023)
Premiered by ExPiRhyEns (Experimental Piano & Rhythm Ensemble of Reed College) in 2023
Redacted
for multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2023) (graphic score)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2023
Experience is a Form of Paralysis
for paper & multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2023)
Premiered by ExPiRhyEns (Experimental Piano & Rhythm Ensemble of Reed College) in 2023
Unbent
for multiple toy pianos (or other keyed instruments) & divided/shuffled score (2022)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2022
This Is My 'Matrix' Sweater
for piano duo (or open instrumentation) & miscellaneous noisemakers (2022)
Premiered in 2022 with Kathleen Supové of "The Exploding Piano" fame
Babel
for multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2022)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2022
Remind Me Again Which is the Business End
for multiple performers on one piano (2021)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2021
Welcome to the Future, Citizen #2406 (piano ensemble version)
for piano 6 hands (2020)
Firebrand
for piano 4 hands (2017)
I Sing an Unending Song of Radical Beauty
for piano 4 hands (2016) (graphic score)
- produced with support from the Halprin Landscape Conservancy
X Chromosome
for 5 toy pianos (or open instrumentation) (2014)
Looper
for one piano 8 hands (2013)
Instrumental ensemble & choir
Deep Time
for fixed media, "Hydra" driftwood harp, violin, obsidian chimes & voice (2024)
Premiere performances as part of "Break to Build Part Two: After the Anthropocene" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Shipyards
Supported by an individual artist grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Relatively Minor Infractions
for alto saxophone, piano & spoken word (2024)
Relatively Minor Infractions
for baritone saxophone, two harpsichords, percussion & spoken word (2018)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
One Hot Mess
for string quartet, percussion, toys & fixed media (2016-18)
From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land Into Being
for alto flute, bass clarinet, traditional Alaskan frame drum, vocals & body percussion (2017)
Walkabout
for SSAATTBB a cappella choir (2016)
Le Tango Ineffectuel
for string trio (2013)
Fixed / mixed media & video
Rainbow Nation
for piano, toy piano, video, and spoken word (2022)
Welcome to the Future, Citizen #2406
for fixed media, projections, dancer & live-operated aerial drone (2019)
Premiere performance with dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor, aerial drone operation by Jennifer Wright
Listen to the Earth
Video collaboration with Daniel Brugh; music by Daniel Brugh (fixed media) (2018), video created by Jennifer Wright (2018)
Documentary films
The Phoenix Project: Art in the Time of Climate Emergency
Video mini-documentary of the complete two-year journey of "The Phoenix Project" (2021)
Premiere screening at The Phoenix Project live shows at Bodyvox, Portland OR, 2021
ReFuse: Art in the Time of Climate Emergency
Video documentary of the first year of "The Phoenix Project" (2020)
Premiere screening at the New Music Gathering 2020 online festival
For students
The Enchanted Mushroom Garden
for solo piano, level 2 (2023)
All the Beautiful Colors of My Belly Button Lint
for piano & vocals (2015)
Monster Piano! Five Monster Songs for Bold and Intrepid Pianists
for solo piano, levels 1-3 (2012)
Ants in My Pants
for solo piano, level 1 (2010)
Whalefall
version for destroyed piano, pebbles, natural materials & fixed media (2023)
Premiere performed as part of "Break to Build" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards, 2023
Fluid
for solo piano (2023)
Premiere performed as part of "Break to Build" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards, 2023
Never Have I Wished So Hard For Rain (Elegy for Eagle Creek)/Resigning Prayers
version for spoken word, piano & dance (2020)
Premiere performed with poetry "Resigning Prayers" & dance by Akela Jaffi
Incognita (piano version)
for amplified/prepared piano, electronics & video poem (2018)
No Disrespect
for prepared piano, fixed media, two dancers & spray paint (2018)
Premiere: dance & choreography by Kiel Moton & Conrad Kaczor
90 Miles
for spoken-word fixed media & amplified piano belly percussion (2018)
Premiere performed in Havana with live improvised dance by Cuban dancers Daniela Ponjuan, Tamara Venereo & Aneli Perdomo
Whalefall
for prepared piano & fixed media (2017)
Premiere performed with aerial choreography & dance by Jordie Campbell
Never Have I Wished So Hard For Rain (Elegy for Eagle Creek)
for piano & falling water (2017)
Premiere performed with live feed hydrophone-amplified public fountain; produced with support from the Halprin Landscape Conservancy
One Hot Mess (piano version)
for solo piano, squeaky toys & fixed media (2016-18)
You Cannot Liberate Me: Only I Can Do That For Myself
for amplified harpsichord & two Ebows (2016)
Premiere performances accompanied by live-cam cymatics display designed by Jennifer Wright
The Winter They Starved: a Saga of the Greenlandic Vikings
for solo piano (2007)
Tune For Sparkie
for solo piano (1993)
The Skeleton Piano
There Is No "Away"
for Skeleton Piano, electronics & fabric (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Anthropocene (Legacy)
for Skeleton Piano & electronics (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
The Battle Cry of the Phoenix
for Skeleton Piano, 50-gallon oil drum & 15 "Transmogrified Instruments" (2019-2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Punxsutawney Blues
for Skeleton Piano & fixed media (2019)
Premiere performed with original choreography/dance by Snubb and Kya Bliss
Waiting for the Package
for Skeleton Piano, electronic effects & dance (2018)
Dance and choreography by Heidi Duckler Dance Theater NW
Incognita
for amplified/prepared Skeleton Piano, electronics, video poem & sonic body armor (2018)
Obscure Terrain
for amplified/prepared Skeleton Piano, vocals & electronics (2014-2015)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
I. Intro: The Map is Not the Terrain
II. Chant for the Unknown
III. Our Bodies Are the Real Continents
IV. Terra Firma
V. Dislocated / Suffocated
VI. As the Valley Explodes / No Spoken Words
VII. Coda: Ozymandias
The Glass Piano
All premiere performances were presented as part of "The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music midst the Noise of Hate" exhibition concerts at The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in Portland, Oregon, supported by the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC), Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), the Trio Foundation, the Zera Foundation, and anonymous donors.
Perfecting the World
for Glass Piano & chandelier crystals (2024)
A Meditation on Things Broken and Lost
for voice & Glass Piano (2024)
Delicate Vessels
for Glass Piano, glass vases & wine glasses (2024)
Keeping is Not the Same as Carrying
for Glass Piano (2024)
The Difficulty With Saturdays
for Glass Piano (2024)
I Wish I’d Had Glamorous Ancestors
for Glass Piano & borosilicate glass rods (2024)
The Meaning of Words
for voice & Glass Piano (2024)
Handle With Care (Fragile Jams)
for Glass Piano & audience participation “Glass Orchestra” (2024)
Toy piano
Side Hustle
for three toy pianos, fixed media & two dancers (2018)
Premiere performance featured dance & choreography by Kiel Moton & Conrad Kaczor
The Whispered Counsel of Past Lives
for toy piano & music boxes (2018)
Premiere performed with live dance by Kya Bliss & Heidi Duckler
Flora, Fauna, Humans, Gods
for gamelan orchestra & slendro-tuned toy piano (2018)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Nobody Likes a Skinny Cowgirl
for two toy pianos & percussion (2016)
The first toy piano piece ever performed in Cuba!
Women’s Work
for two toy pianos, amplified typewriter & dance (2012)
Voice
Luminous, Like Phosphorus
for voice, piano & wind chimes (2023)
Commissioned by ProLab Dance for the "Break To Build" project, with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
Rant
for voice, piano & martini (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
(Do Ya Like My) Unicorn Trapper Keeper (Extra-Extended Dance Remix)
for vocals, electronic media & line dance (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC)
A Song of Abundance
for voice & piano (2021)
Premiere performance featuring an original animated video by Phoebe Toh
Hand pan drum
Dream, Evolve, Flourish, Die
for hand pan drum, voice, sand, amplified sacred objects & dance (2022)
Developed in collaboration & premiered with Laura Cannon of ProLab Dance
The Flow of Geologic Time is Sometimes the Only Comforting Thought
for solo hand pan drum (2021)
Wild and Varied Empires Have Inhabited This Place
for solo hand pan drum (2020)
Experimental instruments
Rainmaker
for fixed media, water, submerged hand pan drum, handmade waterphone, and underwater humming (2024)
premiere performances as part of "Break to Build Part Two: After the Anthropocene" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
Supported by an individual artist grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Singularity
for "Cloud Gamelan" percussion-Long Strings instrument & fixed media (2024)
premiere performances in "when we were Ocean" with ProLab Dance at the Kendall Planetarium, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
Long Strings
for Long String Instrument comprised of five amplified, high-tension, 25-foot-long, tuned steel cables & implements (2023)
premiere performances as part of Break to Build with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
Rock the Boat
for fixed media & multiple aerophones/didgeridoos (2023)
premiere performances as part of Break to Build with ProLab Dance at Zidell Yards
We Persist in Believing that Unnatural Seeds Might Bear Tenable Ecosystems
for "Chimaera" experimental multi-keyboard instrument & looper pedal (2022)
All Imaginable Actions Must Be Taken
for "Chimaera" experimental multi-keyboard instrument (2021)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Cooking For One
for microwave oven & frozen TV dinner (2021)
Produced with support from the Oregon Arts Commission, the Oregon Community Foundation, and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
Shed Life
for dismantled motorcycle & mechanic's tools (2020)
Video collaboration; dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor
Magic Chicken
for plastic bucket, tin cans, mixed percussion, rubber chicken & environmental objects (2019)
Premiere performance dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor and Jennifer Wright
Piano ensemble, keyed instrument ensemble, open instrumentation
Serious Music
for multiple performers on one or more pianos, shot glasses, and mallets (2023)
Premiered by ExPiRhyEns (Experimental Piano & Rhythm Ensemble of Reed College) in 2023
Redacted
for multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2023) (graphic score)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2023
Experience is a Form of Paralysis
for paper & multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2023)
Premiered by ExPiRhyEns (Experimental Piano & Rhythm Ensemble of Reed College) in 2023
Unbent
for multiple toy pianos (or other keyed instruments) & divided/shuffled score (2022)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2022
This Is My 'Matrix' Sweater
for piano duo (or open instrumentation) & miscellaneous noisemakers (2022)
Premiered in 2022 with Kathleen Supové of "The Exploding Piano" fame
Babel
for multiple performers on one or more pianos (or open instrumentation) (2022)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2022
Remind Me Again Which is the Business End
for multiple performers on one piano (2021)
Premiered by piano students of Reed College in 2021
Welcome to the Future, Citizen #2406 (piano ensemble version)
for piano 6 hands (2020)
Firebrand
for piano 4 hands (2017)
I Sing an Unending Song of Radical Beauty
for piano 4 hands (2016) (graphic score)
- produced with support from the Halprin Landscape Conservancy
X Chromosome
for 5 toy pianos (or open instrumentation) (2014)
Looper
for one piano 8 hands (2013)
Instrumental ensemble & choir
Deep Time
for fixed media, "Hydra" driftwood harp, violin, obsidian chimes & voice (2024)
Premiere performances as part of "Break to Build Part Two: After the Anthropocene" with ProLab Dance at Zidell Shipyards
Supported by an individual artist grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
Relatively Minor Infractions
for alto saxophone, piano & spoken word (2024)
Relatively Minor Infractions
for baritone saxophone, two harpsichords, percussion & spoken word (2018)
Produced with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
One Hot Mess
for string quartet, percussion, toys & fixed media (2016-18)
From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land Into Being
for alto flute, bass clarinet, traditional Alaskan frame drum, vocals & body percussion (2017)
Walkabout
for SSAATTBB a cappella choir (2016)
Le Tango Ineffectuel
for string trio (2013)
Fixed / mixed media & video
Rainbow Nation
for piano, toy piano, video, and spoken word (2022)
Welcome to the Future, Citizen #2406
for fixed media, projections, dancer & live-operated aerial drone (2019)
Premiere performance with dance and choreography by Conrad Kaczor, aerial drone operation by Jennifer Wright
Listen to the Earth
Video collaboration with Daniel Brugh; music by Daniel Brugh (fixed media) (2018), video created by Jennifer Wright (2018)
Documentary films
The Phoenix Project: Art in the Time of Climate Emergency
Video mini-documentary of the complete two-year journey of "The Phoenix Project" (2021)
Premiere screening at The Phoenix Project live shows at Bodyvox, Portland OR, 2021
ReFuse: Art in the Time of Climate Emergency
Video documentary of the first year of "The Phoenix Project" (2020)
Premiere screening at the New Music Gathering 2020 online festival
For students
The Enchanted Mushroom Garden
for solo piano, level 2 (2023)
All the Beautiful Colors of My Belly Button Lint
for piano & vocals (2015)
Monster Piano! Five Monster Songs for Bold and Intrepid Pianists
for solo piano, levels 1-3 (2012)
Ants in My Pants
for solo piano, level 1 (2010)
Selected videos & notes (in alphabetical order)
All Imaginable Actions Must Be Taken for Chimaera (2021)
One of the explorations in the climate change-related work I have been doing for the past thee years, the piece "All Imaginable Actions Must Be Taken" for Chimaera received its world premiere in November 2021 at my carbon-negative show "The Phoenix Project", supported in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council and Music Teachers National Association.
400 trees were planted in forest gardens in Sub-Saharan Africa through Trees for the Future to offset the carbon costs of producing the show, including the carbon costs the audience incurred to travel to and from the concert.
The Chimaera is a triple-manual, experimental keyboard instrument and sound machine. It is comprised of several dismantled/prepared toy pianos, two “wings” of resonant metal rods, and an ever-evolving encrustation of found metal objects. Its strange, otherworldly sounds and its post-apocalyptic-junk-creature nature are fitting expressions of the innumerable painful realizations that have come to me over time about the reality and totality of the global climate crisis.
It is my fervent wish that humankind could be better than history has proven us to be. I want to believe that we will not continue this path of burning ourselves to the ground and taking all beautiful and wondrous things with us, but I struggle to see how that is still possible, even if all imaginable actions are taken immediately, wholly, and universally. The counter-clockwise motions that surface in various ways throughout the piece reference my unrealistic yet deep desire to turn back time.
|
Firebrand for piano 4 hands (2017) Here’s the deal: if James Bond was on a top-secret undercover MI6 mission in the Taranta region of Italy, investigating the assassination (via lethal dose of tarantula poison) of a high- ranking Italian official who may or may not have had ties with a highly dangerous international network of covert arch- criminals bent on world domination, and 007 crossed paths with a stunning, mysterious woman wearing a slinky black dress encrusted with jewels in a cobweb pattern (coincidence?) in a smoky underground jazz club, leading to a steamy and disastrous romance that ended with a blaze of gunfire - well... ...this is the song that would be playing in the background. You might notice that the two piano parts are not marked “primo” and “secundo” as is normally done, but rather with a “Th.” and “L.” That means that one of the players gets to be Thelma and the other gets to be Louise. Drive it like you stole it, baby. |
Flora, Fauna, Humans, Gods for gamelan orchestra and slendro-tuned toy piano (2018)
This world premiere performance was presented at "Music in the Time of Absinthe: The Bohemian Mind of the Young Debussy" as part of the March Music Moderne VI Festival at The Community Music Center Recital Hall in Portland, Oregon on March 24, 2018. Jennifer Wright on modified toy piano with The Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Orchestra under the direction of Mindy Johnston: Eric Allen * Vera Brink * Brett Campbell * Mike Echols * Erica Fuenmayor * Betsy Gordon * Mindy Johnston * Teresa Justice * Alex Norman * Yael Schweitzer * Earl Temp * Kristian Trakov.
This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).
When I visited Bali in 2016, I was struck by the incredibly giving, relaxed, considerate, and gracious manner of the Balinese people. Several Balinese explained to me that this beautiful world view stemmed from their system of making decisions. Firstly, they consider how their actions (or inactions) might potentially affect the plants, animals, and all other life and natural features on the planet. Next, they consider how the consequences of their decision might affect their fellow human beings, known and unknown, near and far. Lastly, they give great thought as to how the repercussions of their proposed course of action might be perceived by the gods in the spiritual realm. Once you have considered all of that, they explained, decision-making is easy!
I ruminated for a long time on how problematic, if not impossible, this philosophy would be to implement in the rest of the world, or even my own life. "Flora, Fauna, Humans, Gods" is about my hope that art, culture, and human kindness may lead the way, starting with one very special toy piano. To bring my own take to "East meets West", I physically altered the metal sounding rods on one of my toy pianos (via metal cutters and molten solder) to match the Indonesian 'slendro' scale. For perhaps the first time ever, a Western instrument has evolved its very structure to join in with a gamelan orchestra. So too, perhaps, can we humans evolve past our entrenched ways of thinking to a more harmonious place.
This world premiere performance was presented at "Music in the Time of Absinthe: The Bohemian Mind of the Young Debussy" as part of the March Music Moderne VI Festival at The Community Music Center Recital Hall in Portland, Oregon on March 24, 2018. Jennifer Wright on modified toy piano with The Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan Orchestra under the direction of Mindy Johnston: Eric Allen * Vera Brink * Brett Campbell * Mike Echols * Erica Fuenmayor * Betsy Gordon * Mindy Johnston * Teresa Justice * Alex Norman * Yael Schweitzer * Earl Temp * Kristian Trakov.
This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).
When I visited Bali in 2016, I was struck by the incredibly giving, relaxed, considerate, and gracious manner of the Balinese people. Several Balinese explained to me that this beautiful world view stemmed from their system of making decisions. Firstly, they consider how their actions (or inactions) might potentially affect the plants, animals, and all other life and natural features on the planet. Next, they consider how the consequences of their decision might affect their fellow human beings, known and unknown, near and far. Lastly, they give great thought as to how the repercussions of their proposed course of action might be perceived by the gods in the spiritual realm. Once you have considered all of that, they explained, decision-making is easy!
I ruminated for a long time on how problematic, if not impossible, this philosophy would be to implement in the rest of the world, or even my own life. "Flora, Fauna, Humans, Gods" is about my hope that art, culture, and human kindness may lead the way, starting with one very special toy piano. To bring my own take to "East meets West", I physically altered the metal sounding rods on one of my toy pianos (via metal cutters and molten solder) to match the Indonesian 'slendro' scale. For perhaps the first time ever, a Western instrument has evolved its very structure to join in with a gamelan orchestra. So too, perhaps, can we humans evolve past our entrenched ways of thinking to a more harmonious place.
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From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land Into Being for alto flute, bass clarinet, traditional Alaskan frame drum, vocals and body percussion (2017)
Premiere performance in Denali National Park on July 24, 2017 by three members of the Corvus New Music Ensemble: Katie Cox (flute), Mara Mayer (clarinet) and Joe Bergen (percussion). Composed as part of "Composing in the Wilderness" 2017 and inspired by the epic landscape of Denali, this short piece sings from the beginning of time as the elemental breath of titanic forces calls the earth into being. The premiere was accompanied by this slideshow of images I took in Denali and while flying in an Alaskan bush plane over the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. |
As part of a collaboration between the Elements Art Group of Alaskan visual artists and Composing in the Wilderness, Alaskan artists Ree Nancarrow and Susan Campbell created artworks in response to my piece From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land Into Being. A combined exhibit featuring these works alongside the original scores and premiere recordings by new music ensemble CORVUS toured throughout the United States as part of the show DENALI: Music and Art Inspired by Wilderness. The exhibit was accepted into the permanent collection of the Alaska State Museum in Juneau in 2022.
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DENALI: Music and Art Inspired by Wilderness
This video featuring my work in the online exhibit at the Rozsa Visual and Performing Arts A-Space Gallery at Michigan Tech University delves into the remarkable time I spent composing chamber music in response to the wild landscapes of Denali National Park in Alaska. My experiences with Alaska's culture and terrain inspired me to compose a musical creation-vision entitled From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land Into Being and my music in turn inspired the two incredible artworks you see pictured at left: Alaskan textile artist Ree Nancarrow's art quilt entitled "Envisioning Creation" (top) and Alaskan multimedia artist Susan Campbell's poem/assemblage entitled "Listen" (bottom). The exhibit states: "In conjunction with the A-Space Gallery exhibit, "DENALI: Artists respond to music inspired by wilderness", participants of Composing in the Wilderness, a shared wilderness experience for adventurous composers, and members of the Elements Artist Group discuss the collaboration and share performances of the music and images of artwork in a virtual music and art experience." Each video presents a conversation between composers and artists followed by a performance of the composition coupled with the artworks inspired by it. These conversation+music/art videos are also available directly on the Rozsa Center Youtube channel. Playlist of music/art-only videos Printed program |
Le Tango Ineffectuel for string trio (2013)
This short string trio, a variation on Satie’s "Le Tango Perpetuel" for piano, was commissioned by Bob Priest, producer of the March Music Moderne festival (2014). The premiere performance was presented by the fabulous Free Marz String Trio in the festival closing concert at The Community Music Center in Portland, Oregon.
After I played Satie's "Le Tango Perpetuel" on toy piano - accompanied by narration in French to set the scene - the excellent Free Marz Trio (violinist Hae-jin Kim, violist Kenji Bunch, and cellist Diane Chaplin) launched into the variety of petite variations commissioned for this project, illustrating how a host of composers can take the same source material and produce wildly different (and entertaining) results!
This short string trio, a variation on Satie’s "Le Tango Perpetuel" for piano, was commissioned by Bob Priest, producer of the March Music Moderne festival (2014). The premiere performance was presented by the fabulous Free Marz String Trio in the festival closing concert at The Community Music Center in Portland, Oregon.
After I played Satie's "Le Tango Perpetuel" on toy piano - accompanied by narration in French to set the scene - the excellent Free Marz Trio (violinist Hae-jin Kim, violist Kenji Bunch, and cellist Diane Chaplin) launched into the variety of petite variations commissioned for this project, illustrating how a host of composers can take the same source material and produce wildly different (and entertaining) results!
Looper for one piano eight hands (2013)
This piece is materially unrelated to the Bruce Willis sci-fi movie of the same name that came out while I was writing it (and, moreover, after I had already chosen the title for it – how’s that for an odd sign?), apart from the fact that I have always had quite a soft spot for Bruce.
This “Looper” is inspired by that odd, non-productive quality that your thoughts can assume when they cycle around, obsessively looping over in your mind without identifiable direction, perhaps halfheartedly trying to process something, perhaps not. The pattern might be interrupted momentarily, but the mental movie clip spontaneously, obsessively replays, as inexorably as water responding to the pull of gravity.
In a way, I like this non-thinking state: it blurs events into a continuum from past to present to future, to the point where you aren’t sure which one you’re in. Which, come to think of it, is a lot like the way time travel works in Bruce’s movie, except with lots of guns and futuristic gangsters. Hmmm…maybe they are related. I don’t know. Watch the movie and tell me later.
Anyway, Bruce, this one’s for you.
Nobody Likes a Skinny Cowgirl for two toy pianos and percussion (2016)
So there I was, dressed as a cowgirl: pigtails, the checkered shirt, a stalk of wheat, the whole deal. I had to look the part for a show: I was performing the narrator’s part in a composition based on e. e. cumming’s poem “Buffalo Bill’s Defunct.” It was great fun, but I had a few other things on my mind at the time; before the performance, I was having a hurried production meeting in a university cafeteria with two fellow composers, Paul and Dan, to nail down some details concerning an upcoming concert. We likely made a funny scene to observe, but, absorbed in the meeting, I had already forgotten about my Western getup.
Paul and Dan had already eaten but I had been in rehearsals all day and was starving. I was not succeeding at trying to multi-task the meeting and a chicken-and-gravy dinner. Every time I got the fork halfway to my mouth, I’d have to put it down to write something down or wave my hands, as I generally do when making a point. Finally, famished, I said, “OK! Stop talking for a minute! I can’t eat and think at the same time.”
“Eat, eat!” said my friend Paul. “Nobody likes a skinny cowgirl.”
So there I was, dressed as a cowgirl: pigtails, the checkered shirt, a stalk of wheat, the whole deal. I had to look the part for a show: I was performing the narrator’s part in a composition based on e. e. cumming’s poem “Buffalo Bill’s Defunct.” It was great fun, but I had a few other things on my mind at the time; before the performance, I was having a hurried production meeting in a university cafeteria with two fellow composers, Paul and Dan, to nail down some details concerning an upcoming concert. We likely made a funny scene to observe, but, absorbed in the meeting, I had already forgotten about my Western getup.
Paul and Dan had already eaten but I had been in rehearsals all day and was starving. I was not succeeding at trying to multi-task the meeting and a chicken-and-gravy dinner. Every time I got the fork halfway to my mouth, I’d have to put it down to write something down or wave my hands, as I generally do when making a point. Finally, famished, I said, “OK! Stop talking for a minute! I can’t eat and think at the same time.”
“Eat, eat!” said my friend Paul. “Nobody likes a skinny cowgirl.”
One Hot Mess for string quartet, percussion, toys, and fixed media (2016-18)
In the election summer of 2016, I spent a memorable afternoon listening to all of the speeches presented at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions back to back with Messiaen’s “Turangalila Symphony”. For better or for worse, Donald Trump’s presidential nomination acceptance speech and Messaien’s masterwork became inextricably linked in my mind. Messiaen’s symphony recounts the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, two royal lovers doomed to a star-crossed fate when they accidentally ingested a magical love potion intended for someone else. While listening to the RNC speech (which was fact-checked by the New York Times to contain a truly staggering number of inaccuracies), I was struck by the notion that Trump resembled a blustering, self-important Tristan trying to win over a naïve Isolde (the American people) - although, what kind of really strong Kool-Aid they were all drinking, I could not imagine.
Infuriated, I spent untold hours digitally rearranging actual clips from Trump’s RNC speech to tell this absurd story. The original electronic mash-up version, commissioned by Bob Priest of March Music Moderne, was scheduled to air on the radio in late November of 2016 - by which date I (along with many other people) presumed that this election farce would finally be over and we would be welcoming America’s first female president. I imagined that the radio audience would hear it and say “What a crazy near miss THAT was!!” After the results came in on November 8th, I pulled the piece from the program in shock, concerned that it would be misinterpreted. After an interval, I decided to return to the piece and revamp it with live music. Trump’s RNC speech, as crammed with manipulative tricks, obfuscations, and outright lies as it was, is (as we all know) fairly innocuous compared to the insane things that have come out of his mouth since. Reworking “One Hot Mess” was a useful way for me to work through my emotions, hanging on to humor like a life preserver, as I watched the political theater of our country keel over like the Titanic.
This world premiere performance recorded live on 3.3.2018 at Disjecta (now Oregon Contemporary) in Portland, Oregon. Performed by the Delgani String Quartet with Taylor Long on percussion and toys. Fixed media created by Jennifer Wright.
In the election summer of 2016, I spent a memorable afternoon listening to all of the speeches presented at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions back to back with Messiaen’s “Turangalila Symphony”. For better or for worse, Donald Trump’s presidential nomination acceptance speech and Messaien’s masterwork became inextricably linked in my mind. Messiaen’s symphony recounts the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, two royal lovers doomed to a star-crossed fate when they accidentally ingested a magical love potion intended for someone else. While listening to the RNC speech (which was fact-checked by the New York Times to contain a truly staggering number of inaccuracies), I was struck by the notion that Trump resembled a blustering, self-important Tristan trying to win over a naïve Isolde (the American people) - although, what kind of really strong Kool-Aid they were all drinking, I could not imagine.
Infuriated, I spent untold hours digitally rearranging actual clips from Trump’s RNC speech to tell this absurd story. The original electronic mash-up version, commissioned by Bob Priest of March Music Moderne, was scheduled to air on the radio in late November of 2016 - by which date I (along with many other people) presumed that this election farce would finally be over and we would be welcoming America’s first female president. I imagined that the radio audience would hear it and say “What a crazy near miss THAT was!!” After the results came in on November 8th, I pulled the piece from the program in shock, concerned that it would be misinterpreted. After an interval, I decided to return to the piece and revamp it with live music. Trump’s RNC speech, as crammed with manipulative tricks, obfuscations, and outright lies as it was, is (as we all know) fairly innocuous compared to the insane things that have come out of his mouth since. Reworking “One Hot Mess” was a useful way for me to work through my emotions, hanging on to humor like a life preserver, as I watched the political theater of our country keel over like the Titanic.
This world premiere performance recorded live on 3.3.2018 at Disjecta (now Oregon Contemporary) in Portland, Oregon. Performed by the Delgani String Quartet with Taylor Long on percussion and toys. Fixed media created by Jennifer Wright.
Later that year I created a solo piano version, the world premiere of which was recorded live on June 2, 2018 at Art Share, Los Angeles California on the "Sound and Fury" concert series curated by Christian Dubeau and Christine Lee:
Relatively Minor Infractions for baritone saxophone, two harpsichords & percussion (2018)
As far as the title goes - well...no. I’m not going to tell you about the exact events that transpired to inspire this song. But I will say that, on the general scale of transgressions and misbehaving, they were fairly minor...by and large....all things being relative, that is.
This world premiere performance was presented at "Music in the Time of Absinthe: The Bohemian Mind of the Young Debussy" as part of the March Music Moderne VI Festival at The Community Music Center Recital Hall in Portland, Oregon on March 24, 2018. Performed by the fearless Patrick McCulley on a Martin baritone saxophone made in 1914 in Elkhart, Indiana (this bari was not aware that such things would ever be played on it; thank you for showing it the way, Patrick!) along with Jennifer Wright and Dr. Evan C. Paul on amplified harpsichords, auxiliary percussion, and a bit of shouting.
This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).
As far as the title goes - well...no. I’m not going to tell you about the exact events that transpired to inspire this song. But I will say that, on the general scale of transgressions and misbehaving, they were fairly minor...by and large....all things being relative, that is.
This world premiere performance was presented at "Music in the Time of Absinthe: The Bohemian Mind of the Young Debussy" as part of the March Music Moderne VI Festival at The Community Music Center Recital Hall in Portland, Oregon on March 24, 2018. Performed by the fearless Patrick McCulley on a Martin baritone saxophone made in 1914 in Elkhart, Indiana (this bari was not aware that such things would ever be played on it; thank you for showing it the way, Patrick!) along with Jennifer Wright and Dr. Evan C. Paul on amplified harpsichords, auxiliary percussion, and a bit of shouting.
This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).
Walkabout for 8-part a cappella choir (SSAATTBB) & soloists (2016)
Music & lyrics by Jennifer Wright
All those required years of childhood Sunday School classes and Bible camps never made the intended impression on me (school on a Sunday? An idea destined to fail!). I only let myself be dragged to church with minimum fuss because there was music happening there: I would put up with endless hours of tedious sermons by the slightly creepy pastor if it meant I got to belt out a good hymn. Spirituals were my absolute favorite, although they didn’t appear in the program very often (this was East Coast White Person Church, mind you – not much soul).
That must have been why, all these happily religion-free years later, I had some “Hallelujah!” that needed letting out. The Christian myths are convenient and powerful: everybody gets the archetypes. Substitute whatever word you want for “Lordy” and replace all the Biblical references: ultimately this song is all about pure, glorious, unadulterated JOY. Amen to that!
I like to mix my metaphors, so I combined Christian references with the term “Walkabout” – a beautiful (but now, sadly, politically incorrect) word for the solitary journey that all male Australian aborigines undertake in order to become a man. It’s a beautiful name for the Holy Grail we all chase (to borrow another Christian reference, which I connect more to the Indiana Jones movies than I do to anything I learned in the pews): to deeply know the one thing you truly desire, and to give yourself permission to go after it with every fiber in your body. That’s my kind of faith!
Music & lyrics by Jennifer Wright
All those required years of childhood Sunday School classes and Bible camps never made the intended impression on me (school on a Sunday? An idea destined to fail!). I only let myself be dragged to church with minimum fuss because there was music happening there: I would put up with endless hours of tedious sermons by the slightly creepy pastor if it meant I got to belt out a good hymn. Spirituals were my absolute favorite, although they didn’t appear in the program very often (this was East Coast White Person Church, mind you – not much soul).
That must have been why, all these happily religion-free years later, I had some “Hallelujah!” that needed letting out. The Christian myths are convenient and powerful: everybody gets the archetypes. Substitute whatever word you want for “Lordy” and replace all the Biblical references: ultimately this song is all about pure, glorious, unadulterated JOY. Amen to that!
I like to mix my metaphors, so I combined Christian references with the term “Walkabout” – a beautiful (but now, sadly, politically incorrect) word for the solitary journey that all male Australian aborigines undertake in order to become a man. It’s a beautiful name for the Holy Grail we all chase (to borrow another Christian reference, which I connect more to the Indiana Jones movies than I do to anything I learned in the pews): to deeply know the one thing you truly desire, and to give yourself permission to go after it with every fiber in your body. That’s my kind of faith!
"Walkabout" performed by the Resonance Ensemble under the direction of Katherine FitzGibbon, on the Cascadia Composers concert Desire for the Sacred on 1.21.2017 @ Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR:
The Winter They Starved: a Saga of the Greenlandic Vikings for solo piano (2007)
This solo piano piece was inspired by the true tale of the Greenlandic Vikings, whose society flourished between roughly 1000 - 1500 A.D. and then completely and mysteriously disappeared. I first learned about this topic in detail in Jared Diamond’s riveting book, Collapse, which details the catastrophic and complete collapse of entire human societies.
Upon their arrival in Greenland, the Vikings found only two areas in the terrain that would support settlement. They imported an agrarian lifestyle which was ill-suited to the marginal climate. By the 1400s, the ‘Little Ice Age’ was making it harder to produce enough hay to feed their livestock through the winters. The already sporadic supply ships from Norway ceased to arrive entirely as ice permanently clogged the fjords.
Undoubtedly there were many factors that contributed to their demise, but the best archeological research we have at present indicates that at least one of the two Viking settlements starved out. My piece is a fantasia-style imagining of what the last year in that Viking settlement might have been like.
This solo piano piece was inspired by the true tale of the Greenlandic Vikings, whose society flourished between roughly 1000 - 1500 A.D. and then completely and mysteriously disappeared. I first learned about this topic in detail in Jared Diamond’s riveting book, Collapse, which details the catastrophic and complete collapse of entire human societies.
Upon their arrival in Greenland, the Vikings found only two areas in the terrain that would support settlement. They imported an agrarian lifestyle which was ill-suited to the marginal climate. By the 1400s, the ‘Little Ice Age’ was making it harder to produce enough hay to feed their livestock through the winters. The already sporadic supply ships from Norway ceased to arrive entirely as ice permanently clogged the fjords.
Undoubtedly there were many factors that contributed to their demise, but the best archeological research we have at present indicates that at least one of the two Viking settlements starved out. My piece is a fantasia-style imagining of what the last year in that Viking settlement might have been like.
Women’s Work for two toy pianos, amplified typewriter and dance (2012)
This piece is part music, part dance, part mid-20th century costume drama. The musical motifs used are meant to evoke a typical noisy, pre-computer office setting. As a child, I was fascinated by Sandy, my mother’s secretary. I would watch Sandy at work, alone in a bare room, engulfed in the constant racket of typewriter noise. I marveled at this: what could be so important as to warrant all that endless clamor and effort? What emotional landscape lay behind her furrowed brow – for surely, she was a real person like the rest of us, yet incomprehensibly, she spent her days clattering away, doing – what exactly?
Years later I tried my hand at an office job and barely lasted three excruciating months. I found myself wondering: what does it mean to be a product of our times? Even when we think we choose our roles and fates, do we even really choose how we express ourselves?
In Women’s Work, the toy piano, with its restricted range of pitch and expression, is an apt metaphor for the limited roles that women historically were allowed to inhabit. The typewriter is a fitting duet partner, since for a certain period of time – my mother’s generation – it was something of the only “instrumental voice” that many first-world women would ever get their hands on. The Boss, in contrast, is free to express himself: he dances.
This piece is part music, part dance, part mid-20th century costume drama. The musical motifs used are meant to evoke a typical noisy, pre-computer office setting. As a child, I was fascinated by Sandy, my mother’s secretary. I would watch Sandy at work, alone in a bare room, engulfed in the constant racket of typewriter noise. I marveled at this: what could be so important as to warrant all that endless clamor and effort? What emotional landscape lay behind her furrowed brow – for surely, she was a real person like the rest of us, yet incomprehensibly, she spent her days clattering away, doing – what exactly?
Years later I tried my hand at an office job and barely lasted three excruciating months. I found myself wondering: what does it mean to be a product of our times? Even when we think we choose our roles and fates, do we even really choose how we express ourselves?
In Women’s Work, the toy piano, with its restricted range of pitch and expression, is an apt metaphor for the limited roles that women historically were allowed to inhabit. The typewriter is a fitting duet partner, since for a certain period of time – my mother’s generation – it was something of the only “instrumental voice” that many first-world women would ever get their hands on. The Boss, in contrast, is free to express himself: he dances.
The premiere performance was presented on the Cascadia Composers program “Crazy Jane Collaborates!” on Nov. 9th, 2012 in Portland, OR with me on dual toy pianos, Grace Shimer on amplified typewriter, and Courtney Allen dancing the part of "The Boss":
X Chromosome for 5 toy pianos (or open instrumentation) (2014)
Invited by my charming friend Dan to be the token female composer on an all-male concert (“We need a girl! But, I mean, we also love your work!”), naturally I decided to contribute a piece entitled “X Chromosome”. Rather than doing something obvious and (to me at the time) uninteresting - like exploring the nature of femininity - I was intrigued by the “X” and its suggestions of intersection and the synchronicity of chance meetings.
Each instrumentalist creates his/her own part within the structure by combining, repeating, or ignoring isolated notated musical snippets at will. The catch is that each performer must choose and maintain a tempo that is unrelated to the others. At the crossroads of intention, whim and chance, the energy of this piece will emerge as individual lines phase in and out of the texture – overlapping, causing intended or unintended interactions, possibly lining up with one another occasionally – like children on playground swings.
Invited by my charming friend Dan to be the token female composer on an all-male concert (“We need a girl! But, I mean, we also love your work!”), naturally I decided to contribute a piece entitled “X Chromosome”. Rather than doing something obvious and (to me at the time) uninteresting - like exploring the nature of femininity - I was intrigued by the “X” and its suggestions of intersection and the synchronicity of chance meetings.
Each instrumentalist creates his/her own part within the structure by combining, repeating, or ignoring isolated notated musical snippets at will. The catch is that each performer must choose and maintain a tempo that is unrelated to the others. At the crossroads of intention, whim and chance, the energy of this piece will emerge as individual lines phase in and out of the texture – overlapping, causing intended or unintended interactions, possibly lining up with one another occasionally – like children on playground swings.
"piano pandemonium"
- Maria Choban, Oregon ArtsWatch
A few fun performances of X Chromosome:
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Fear No Music: Locally Sourced Sounds Monday, January 20, 2020, 7:30 pm The Old Church Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon I'm delighted and honored to have my piece "X Chromosome" interpreted by the amazing musicians of fEARnoMUSIC! "An extremely fun, engaging, and unusual creative work!” - Kenji Bunch, FearNoMusic artistic director |
From left: me, Daniel Brugh, Ted Clifford, Paul Safar, and Max Weisenbloom at the "A Cuba Con Amor" Cascadia Composers concert at Portland's Lincoln Hall, 2016
With Cuban friends in the 29th Annual Contemporary Music Festival in Havana, Cuba, 2016, the first time an American composer had jumped onstage with Cuban musicians since the revolution!
Check out this fantastic version of X Chromosome by the wonderful Ensemble Interactivo de la Habana, led by formidable Cuban musician/composer/force of nature Jose Victor Gavilondo Peon!
...and for piano students:
Monster Piano! Five Monster Songs for Bold and Intrepid Pianists for solo piano (Levels 1-3) (2012)
The Littlest Monster: he’s cute, but working on overcoming it. “I’m a monster and I’m SCARY! You had better watch out when I’m mad! Tall and mean and super-duper hairy, don’t you think that I am BIG and BAD?”
Bump in the Night illustrates how problematic it can be when you have a rare, clumsy and very noisy “Near-Sighted Neppit” living in your attic, especially when your parents don’t believe you.
Children for Lunch: the title says it all. “Big ones and little ones, tasty ones too, sweet juicy kids that are easy to chew!” Well, you can’t really blame him. If you were a monster, you’d want some too.
Grumpy Grouchy Grimy Grimm: trust me, you would NOT like him! Almost too small to be seen, but he’s foul in the extreme. Boogers in his nose, slime between his toes; he sure leaves a monstrous stink behind him as he goes…greasy, grungy, grotty Grimm, we should all steer clear of him!
Monster for Hire is one sleazy character, but he offers an important service. He advertises: “Parents, do you have bad kids on your hands, driving you straight up the wall? When all else has failed and you’re at your wits’ end, don’t worry, just give me a call!” Ten bucks is all it takes to scare the pants off your children and rest assured of future good behavior.
The Littlest Monster: he’s cute, but working on overcoming it. “I’m a monster and I’m SCARY! You had better watch out when I’m mad! Tall and mean and super-duper hairy, don’t you think that I am BIG and BAD?”
Bump in the Night illustrates how problematic it can be when you have a rare, clumsy and very noisy “Near-Sighted Neppit” living in your attic, especially when your parents don’t believe you.
Children for Lunch: the title says it all. “Big ones and little ones, tasty ones too, sweet juicy kids that are easy to chew!” Well, you can’t really blame him. If you were a monster, you’d want some too.
Grumpy Grouchy Grimy Grimm: trust me, you would NOT like him! Almost too small to be seen, but he’s foul in the extreme. Boogers in his nose, slime between his toes; he sure leaves a monstrous stink behind him as he goes…greasy, grungy, grotty Grimm, we should all steer clear of him!
Monster for Hire is one sleazy character, but he offers an important service. He advertises: “Parents, do you have bad kids on your hands, driving you straight up the wall? When all else has failed and you’re at your wits’ end, don’t worry, just give me a call!” Ten bucks is all it takes to scare the pants off your children and rest assured of future good behavior.
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In 2015, my piano students and I co-wrote a two-hour-long puppet show called “The Adventures of Sir Knight, The Princess and The Pig: A Fairy Tale of Five Elements”, which we performed with a live piano soundtrack in Portland, OR in June 2015. The plot revolves around the bumbling but kind-hearted Sir Knight, who reluctantly joins the brave Princess and a talking Pig on a grand adventure to rescue Arfur the Dog, who has been kidnapped by dragons.
One of the memorable characters that the trio meets along the way is The Flying Squirrel, an overly talkative fellow who enjoys singing as they travel together. When my students gathered to read through the final script, they knew the dialogue since they had written most of it; however, there was a short bit that I had added to fill in a transition that none of them had heard: Flying Squirrel: Are we there yet? Man, this anticipation is killing me! I wanna see DRAGONS!!! Hey, anybody for another round of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”? Princess: No thank you, Flying Squirrel, I think we could all use some quiet time. Flying Squirrel: Oh wait! I know what we could sing! This is a great one. I made it up myself! It has 143 verses and it’s called “All the Beautiful Colors of My Belly Button Lint”! Princess & Pig & Sir Knight: NO THANK YOU! Flying Squirrel: Sheesh! Everybody’s a critic! Oh well, your loss! My students all fell over and laughed so hard that they couldn’t breathe for a long time, and kept repeating the song title over and over while clutching their stomachs and screeching with glee. Then they all demanded to know how the song went, so I had to write it. They all helped me invent enough specialty colors to fill up 143 verses. |
Contact me for scores, program notes, etc.
jenniferawright (at) yahoo.com (email preferred) | 503-475-2406 | 3656 SE Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97214
ASCAP writer / publisher
Check out skeletonpiano.com to see what I've been up to with my Skeleton Piano & other deconstructed instruments!
jenniferawright (at) yahoo.com (email preferred) | 503-475-2406 | 3656 SE Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97214
ASCAP writer / publisher
Check out skeletonpiano.com to see what I've been up to with my Skeleton Piano & other deconstructed instruments!