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Solo & Duo

just enough to breathe  
2021                             
for solo flute
flexible duration                

When first chatting with Eliza, Jen, Philip, Louna and Yoshi, I was struck by the idea of resiliency. It is something that tied us all together in our respective journeys of self-discovery through music. This piece is inspired by text created by a dear friend, poet, and vocalist Marissa Zechinato. In it, I explore our collective resiliency as artists seeking to share the vulnerable aspects of our individuality, and the freedom and strength that comes from overcoming adversity and challenges in and through our work. 

"My skin separates the inside from from the outside of me just enough to breathe."
                                                                                    - Marissa Zechinato (provided with permission from the author)

The Thinness of       â€‹    
2019                           
for solo cello and tape
15 minutes                    

Inspired by Martine Thomas' text, The thinness of depicts our internal landscape of static, noise, hyper-controlled states, and inner dialogue that manipulates our shifting perspectives and sense of reality. It remarks on the idea that the lives of women in society are filtered through the expectations and perceptions of others, a layered complexity that is at the core of every interaction. We strive to be understood, to be able to communicate clearly with one another, but often need to filter our thoughts and intentions in order to be considered easily digestible. Constantly told how we should act, speak, and think, we are left with conflicting ideas of our reality and the spaces we occupy in the world. 
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Transparent Balance      

2019               
for solo piano
10 minutes                                      

Transparent Balance is a meditation on the quote, "you never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory." It reflects on the sensation that we are all balancing between the past and the present in each moment of our lives. 

Selective Hearing          
 
2014, revised 2019           
Duo for two bassoons or solo bassoon and tape
6 minutes                   

Paper House                      
 
2019         
Duo for violin and bass clarinet
14 minutes                                                
 
Paper House provides a glimpse into the (paper) worlds that we create to escape chaos. These worlds are our own, untouchable and indestructible but by our imaginations. This movement is about the resiliency of our imagination and minds against external pressures and constantly shifting relationships. Despite the changing landscape of our relationships, the paper house that we create stands. 
 
Commissioned by Box Not Found. This work was premiered by Box Not Found on February 2, 2019, at the East Branch of the Boston Public Library in Boston, MA. 

The memory of water      

 

2018-    (ongoing)

 

for solo singing violist and live electronics                           

 

The Memory of Water is an ongoing collaborative project between myself and violist/poet Martine Thomas, featuring solo viola and live electronics. Inspired by the original texts written by Martine, this work explores the intersection between live composition, improvisation, and poetry. From a series of in-depth exploratory sessions, Martine and I were able to discover a collection of sounds related to the narrative within her text which forms the basis of our sonic environment. In performance, through a combination of live composition and guided improvisation, we are able to deeply explore each sound and bring this environment off the page.  

 

​More to come soon! 

 

The Memory of Water was partially premiered by Martine Thomas during the Ensemble Evolution ARCade at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity July 2019. 

 

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Paracusia I, II, and III      
 
2018-   (ongoing)

for solo saxophone and live electronics                     
 
Paracusia is an ongoing multi-piece collaboration for saxophone(s) and live electronics created by Camila Agosto and Justin Massey. The performer represents a character that is trapped within a reverberation room. Over the course of the movements, the performer navigates the audience through their experience as they slowly lose their ability to interact with their outside world. Each movement represents a different step along their journey, exposing the unique sonic landscape of the different instruments within the saxophone family and their connection with the integrated electronics.
 
Find out more information here.

imprint                               
 
2017   
for flute, cello, and projected media
35 minutes                                                                        
 
imprint is a reflection on human fragility, vulnerability, and raw emotional experiences. It focuses specifically on how we perceive those who do not fit the ideal image that our societal standards have created in this late capitalist environment. The two musicians represent two characters who shed their self-imposed, easy-to-digest packaging, in order to expose their true natures to one another, while exploring the idea that all of our experiences are in some way imprinted on our skin in the way we lead our lives, and in our interactions with others.
 
Throughout the work, the two characters explore extremely fragile and unpredictable sounds that expose the intricate natures of their instruments, while revealing the negative impacts of their experiences on their emotional, psychological, and physical states. Within the work there are elements of subtle theatricality in both the recitation of text by the performers and their physical gestures throughout the piece. The texts explore themes of the precarious and vulnerable nature of relationships that play into our everyday lives and how they impact our psychological welfare. This staging is intentionally designed as a commentary on the way in which people interact in society. Two people, looking at one another, interacting over a brief period of time, without truly seeing the other person.

This work was premiered by Berrow Duo on May 17, 2018 at EMP Collective in Baltimore, MD, alongside video projection designed by Bryan Funk and art installations created by Robin Marquis.

Excerpt of world premiere of imprint â€‹on May 17, 2018 at EMP Collective performed by Berrow Duo (Leia Slosberg, flute and Thea Mesirow, cello) in Baltimore, MD, alongside video projection designed by Bryan Funk and art installations created by Robin Marquis.

Rift                                    
 
2017 
for two bass clarinets and tape
20 minutes                                                                                
 
I was attending a concert this past summer (2017) performed by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble that featured Beethoven’s Septet, when I noticed that the man sitting beside me had a portable oxygen machine. As I listened to ICE perform, I was also hearing the sounds produced by this man’s machine as it was regulating his air. To me, it was as if I was hearing Beethoven through the filter of this machine. This combination of sounds really intrigued me and ultimately sparked my initial ideas for this piece.
 
 
 
 
 
 

In creating Rift, I wanted to explore the idea of exposing the fragility that exists under the surface of everyday interactions and create a tear in the façade that people hide behind in social interactions. Through extensive collaboration with clarinetist Joshua Rubin, I was able to discover unique sounds that exemplified this idea of a person, while being revealed in two different ways simultaneously, exposing their true nature and the physical reactions that occur when someone is placed in a setting that may make them socially anxious. On one side you have the more superficial nature of the being, the side that is most readily available to others. On the other side, you have the “true” nature of the being, the side that is most vulnerable and invisible to the naked eye.
 
Rift was premiered by clarinetists Joshua Rubin and Vasko Dukovski during a Miller Theatre Pop-Up Concert (October 24, 2017).

For Bb Clarinet and         

Electronics

 

2015   

 

for Bb clarinet, tape and live electronics

​

20 minutes (flexible duration)                                                                                    

 

For Bb Clarinet and Electronics depicts an aspect of the compositional process that occurs in my mind as I write. As the live performer continues through the piece, various pre-recorded Bb clarinet parts spiral around them; weaving in and out of their lines to create a cacophony of sounds. With all of the activity both on the page and in the performance, it is up to the audience to determine what is really happening in front of them and what is happening behind the scenes.

 

This work was premiered by clarinetist Eric Umble at the Firehouse Space in Brooklyn, NY (November 6, 2016).

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