Duration: 8'00"
Instrumentation: Soprano, Flute and String Quintet

And I could be a farmer. / How skillfully I wait, / rain-patient, sun-garnered. / Then, tilled from my tongue with the terseness of hunger: / riper words, brimming harvest, / hate-sated, well-armed—they / stunningly spill me in / long, perfect rhyme; I’m / cored like an apple; I’ve / nothing to hold but my rind. 

This piece was written for soprano Emilia Donato and flute player Amir Farsi. It was premiered on April 13, 2018 in New Haven, CT. Text by Tanner Porter. Recording, mixing and mastering by Jack Lawrence. Soprano: Emilia Donato, Flute: Amir Farsi, Violin I: Maura Scanlin, Violin II: Dhyani Heath, Viola: Sarah Switzer, Cello: Fjola Evans, Bass: Amy Nickler. Text by Tanner Porter. Special thanks to Jasmine Gelber.

Duration: 5'00"
Instrumentation:
Pierrot Ensemble and Percussion

"Heather" is based on the poem of the same name by Robert MacFarlane, taken from his collection The Lost Words. McFarlane’s poem suggests that heather, as a plant, is more than it appears to be. Heather shares the ground it grows from with so many other flowers, and is an inherently a compassionate neighbor made more lovely by its kindness.

This piece was written for the members of Amalgama and premiered December 6, 2018 at Our Savior's Atonement Lutheran Church in New York, NY. Recording courtesy of Amalgama Ensemble.