Ritmica No. 5

Program Note: Composed in 1930, Cuban composer Amadeo Roldán’s Rítmicas explore a multitude of Afro-Cuban-influenced setting. As a suite of six short pieces, the first four Ritmicas are scored for various wind instruments and piano, while the final two – No. 5 and 6 – are written exclusively for percussion. Considered to be one of the first extant works for percussion, Roldán’s work (along with Edgard Varèse’s Ionisation from 1931) set the ground for the development and establishment of the percussion ensemble in the Western musical narrative.
Based on folkloric and traditional Cuban styles, Ritmica No. 5 is written in a symmetrical two-part form for a battery of Afro-Cuban instruments. Opening with the light, dancing rhythms of a son, a livelier montuno takes over the second half of the piece. As indicated in the titles, Roldán’s work exemplifies the dance-like nature of Cuban music with a gravitation towards extensive polyrhythmic lines.
Program Note by James Campbell

Grounding

Program Note: The term Grounding for which this piece is named refers to the practice of using one’s surroundings to anchor themselves through external sensory input, particularly when feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected from the body. Some players may be familiar with various grounding exercises. One well-known example involves beginning with five things you can see followed by four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. In Grounding, this process is reflected through a process of layering created by the entrances of players and a gradual accumulation of sound. However, in loud, bright, or busy environments it is possible to again be overwhelmed or discombobulated by these stimuli. In these situations, returning the primary focus to breathing deeply and slowly is crucial. As such, this process is reflected in the return of the introduction’s musical material at measure 90. Throughout Grounding, I have tried to capture the dissonance created when one tries to calm and control their body by turning to the outside world while simultaneously remaining connected and tethered to oneself. 

Illuminations (World Premiere)

 Program Note: Illuminations reflects on the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, a severe weather event linked to anthropogenic climate change that impacted the state of Texas in 2021. As the ice began to melt, the harsh reality of loss emerged—countless plants and animals, unprepared for such cold, perished in the unforgiving freeze.This piece is a meditation on the fragility of life, capturing the quiet beauty of light reflecting off ice and snow and the profound silence that follows the thaw.