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ORCHESTRA
MOSHE’S DREAM
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(2022)
symphony orchestra:
2222 4221 timp + 3 perc strings
duration: approx. 15 minutes
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My inspiration for Moshe’s Dream comes directly from my grandpa Morry. During the 2020 lockdown, both of us isolated in our small apartments, he and I would talk on the phone about our innate love of klezmer music and how it never failed to cheer us up even when life was bleak. In December 2020, he called to tell me about a dream he had that I started a klezmer band and that I wrote a piece for him called Moshe’s Dream in the klezmer style. This piece is my interpretation of my grandpa’s dream and the music he heard within it.
Jewish folk music was a big inspiration for me, though this piece is not meant to be a musical reflection on klezmer music and I do not quote any klezmer melodies. Instead, I incorporate klezmer idioms, including scales, instrumentation, rhythms, and pitch bends, to evoke the same spirit of joy, silliness, laughter, wit, humor, sorrow, strength, and resilience that is shared by the klezmer tradition and my grandfather.
-M.I.
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Commissioner
Commissioned by Chicago Sinfonietta for their 2021-2022 Season
Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director
Blake-Anthony Johnson, CEO
World Premieres conducted by Taichi Fukumura, Assistant Conductor
Premieres
Premiered by Chicago Sinfonietta at Limitless Horizon
May 14, 2022 at Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, IL
May 16, 2022 at Symphony Center, Chicago, IL
EARTH TRIPTYCH: II. Symbiosis Interrupted
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II. Symbiosis Interrupted
(2019)
symphony orchestra:
2222 4221 timp + 3 perc strings
4 min
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Symbiosis Interrupted explores the relationship between the earth and humans, from the beginning of our species to our present moment. In depicting this complicated millennia-long relationship relationship in a four minute piece, I employ the use of musical symbolism and leitmotif.
Symbiosis Interrupted begins with two themes, one representing the Earth [the melody is “Earth” spelled in notes: E-A-Re-Ti-Half step in the key of A major] which is introduced in the flute, and one representing Humans [a rising line symbolizing growth and progress], which is introduced in the clarinet. These two themes begin in symbiosis: they support one another and flow together harmoniously. The majesty of the opening is abruptly interrupted by harsh, human-made sounds, which pollute the relationship between Humans and Earth. This pollution pours directly into A, in which the Human theme takes on a care-free charisma as it travels through various dance rhythms, representing how Humanity innovates for its own pleasure and convenience. However, by B the Human theme has turned into something more Sinister, a theme that continues to grow and spread like a virus, unable to slow down or stop itself. Section C is the Earth’s reflection on what has become of the Human theme: the original Earth theme is presented in the oboes, only this time it is polluted with dissonant intervals. As this polluted Earth theme repeats, it turns further away from the peaceful opening melody, and by D, the Earth theme has taken a much more threatening form. Here, the xylophone presents a variation of the theme [that now spells “earth” in the key of C minor (Eb-Ab-Re-Ti-Half step) – very distant from where it started in A major] upon which a storm builds (rain and storm effects in the strings and percussion), temperatures rise, and Mother Nature shows her true power. Seemingly oblivious to what is happening with the Earth theme, the Human theme returns abruptly at E in a gluttonous manner, unaware of the damage it does as it forges ahead. By F, the Earth theme and the Human theme are both at their full power, battling for dominance. The movement ends with a literal countdown in the time signature, a tutti presentation of the Human theme, and a quickening heartbeat in the percussion, representing the urgency of addressing this crisis, the responsibility of all of us to do something, and the lack of time we have left. As this movement represents the present, there is no resolution at the end – only anxiety.
This is the middle movement of a three-composer commission, Earth Triptych. I. The Soul of Gaia (Stefan Smith) depicts Earth’s pre-human past, and III. Extinction and Rebirth (Fernando Arroyo Lascurain) illustrates the future of our planet.
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Commissioner
Commissioned by Chicago Sinfonietta for their 2019-2020 Season
Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director
Jim Hirsch, CEO
Premieres
Premiered by Chicago Sinfonietta at Forces + Fates
October 6, 2019 at Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, IL
October 7, 2019 at Symphony Center, Chicago, IL
WIND AND PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
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(2010)
wind ensemble
12 minutes
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The Mind Grows Heated was composed in fulfillment of my BA Honors Thesis for Distinction in Music. The title comes from something my mother always said to me whenever I was struggling with a project: "Only begin and the mind grows heated; only begin and the task is completed." Although not composed with a specific program in mind, the piece follows the psychological process of composing my first work for a large ensemble. The rising, open-ended melodies and the flowing accompaniment of the opening Andante section speak of the worried, yet hopeful, anticipation I experienced as I set out into new compositional territory. The percussive and militaristic material in the Allegro section represents the fear and anxiety I experienced while working on the piece, personifying doubt and insecurity as foes against which I had to battle. My endurance through these obstacles is represented by the ostinato figure in this section. The hopeful theme of the opening section finally rises out of the chaos, leading to a triumphant grandioso ending that represents a successful completion of my thesis.
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Premiered by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Wind Ensemble
Dale White, Director
April 26, 2014 at Escher Auditorium, St. Joseph, MN
THE MIND GROWS HEATED
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(2023)
concert band, grade 2
4 minutes
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Awakening at Wooded Ridge is the culmination of a two-year collaboration with band director Keith Carlson and his students at Thomas Jefferson Junior High in Woodridge, Illinois. Throughout the semester of their composition unit during which each student was working on their own piece, I visited their classroom and presented on composition basics and musical storytelling techniques. I then collected their final compositions and created a piece for them to perform based off and inspired by their work.
-M.I.
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Premiered May 2023 by the Thomas Jefferson Jr. High Band in Woodridge, IL
Band Director: Keith Carlson
AWAKENING AT WOODED RIDGE
THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS
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(2011)
text by: The Brothers Grimm
for percussion ensemble and narrator
12 minutes
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The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids is for five to seven percussionists and dramatic narrator. It tells the story of the Grimm's fairy tale of the same title, in which a villainous wolf masquerades as the mother of seven young goats in order to succeed in his dastardly plot to swallow them whole. The piece employs specific instruments and themes to represent the different characters and actions of the story, and the narrator reads the original text in time with the music.
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This piece was premiered in the Fall of 2014 by the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University Percussion Ensemble.
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SOLO VOCAL
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Soprano and Piano
Text by Alice Duer Miller
(2022)
Duration: 3:45
The text of “What Every Woman Must Not Say” was written by suffragist and writer Alice Duer Miller and is included in her 1915 collection of poems titled Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times. An active member of the Algonquin Round Table and outspoken activist for women’s suffrage, Miller originally published her delectably sardonic poems as a series in the New York Tribune in the early twentieth century as Congress repeatedly failed to grant women the right to vote. Miller’s witty and piquant criticism of the sociopolitical status quo of her time is as relatable and relevant today as ever.
My goal in setting Miller’s text is simply to honor her message and sarcastic sense of humor, and here I use cowboy tropes as a musical caricature to complement the hilarity and relatability of her words.
-M. Isaac
Winner of songSLAM Chicago 2023!
This song is part of the Are Women People? song cycle.
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The text of “What Every Woman Must Not Say” was written by suffragist and writer Alice Duer Miller and is included in her 1915 collection of poems titled Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times. An active member of the Algonquin Round Table and outspoken activist for women’s suffrage, Miller originally published her delectably sardonic poems as a series in the New York Tribune in the early twentieth century as Congress repeatedly failed to grant women the right to vote. Miller’s witty and piquant criticism of the sociopolitical status quo of her time is as relatable and relevant today as ever.
My goal in setting Miller’s text is simply to honor her message and sarcastic sense of humor, and here I use cowboy tropes as a musical caricature to complement the hilarity and relatability of her words.
-M. Isaac
Text
“I don’t pretend I’m clever,” he remarked, “or very wise,”
And at this she murmured, “Really,” with the right polite surprise.
“But women,” he continued, “I must own I understand;
Women are a contradiction: honorable and underhand;
Constant as the star Polaris, yet as changeable as Fate,
Always flying what they long for, always seeking what they hate.”
“Don’t you think,” began the lady, but he cut her short: “I see
That you take it personally; women always do,” said he.
“You will pardon me for saying every woman is the same,
Always greedy for approval, always sensitive to blame;
Sweet and passionate are women; weak in mind, though strong in soul;
Even you admit, I fancy, that they have no self-control?”
“No, I don’t admit they haven’t,” said the patient lady then,
“Or they could not sit and listen to the nonsense talked by men.”
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Premiered by Angela Born, soprano, and Jordan Crice, piano, at songSLAM Chicago 2023 - a top prize performance!
WHAT EVERY WOMAN MUST NOT SAY
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Soprano and Piano
Text by: Alice Duer Miller
(2020)
Duration: 4 min
This song is part of the Are Women People? song cycle.
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Second runner-up at the 2nd Annual Chicago songSLAM, Our Idea of Nothing at All is part of the Are Women People? song cycle, with text by suffragist Alice Duer Miller from her book of poems of the same name.
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Premiered virtually by soprano Angela Born and pianist Jordan Crice on for songSLAM Chicago 2021.
OUR IDEA OF NOTHING AT ALL
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Soprano and Piano
Text by Alice Duer Miller
(2022)
Duration: 5 min
This song is part of the Are Women People? song cycle.
A CONSISTENT ANTI TO HER SON
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Hope! is available for Baritone (original) or Soprano, with Piano.
Text by Benjamin Smidt
(2020)
Total Duration: approx. 12 minutes
Trapped (2:10)
Faith (2:25)
Hopeful (3:50)
Freed (1:00)
Beauty (2:20)
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Hope! is a song cycle commissioned by Lynx Project for their annual Amplify Series, pairing composers with autistic poets who are primarily non-speaking. The text for this cycle is completely comprised of an essay entitled Hope! by Benjamin Smidt wherein he beautifully shares his story of learning to use RPM (rapid prompting method) and being able to communicate widely with others for the first time.
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Hope! was premiered by baritone Nicholas Ward and pianist Daniel Baer in February 2021.
HOPE!
EPOCHS: I. Surprise, II. Patience, III. Hope
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Soprano and Piano
Text by Emma Lazarus
(2022)
Total duration: approx. 12 min.
Surprise
Patience
Hope
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Commissioned and premiered by soprano Laura Bumgardner and pianist Heidi Joosten, March 3, 2022 at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL
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Soprano and Piano
Text by Braden Isaac, Erin Lindquist, Sonny Isaac, and Archer Isaac
(2015)
Total Duration: 10 min
I. Tricycle Treasure Hunt (text by Braden, age 3)
II. Winter Wonders (text by Erin, age 4)
III. Little Yellow Engine (text by Sonny, age 3)
IV. The Well-Placed Trampoline (text by Archer, age 5)
LITTLES
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Female Voice and Piano
Text by Ralph Waldo Emerson
(2015)
Duration: approx. 5 min.
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Text
Let me go where’er I will,
I hear a sky-born music still;
It sounds from all things old,
It sounds from all things young,
From all that’s fair, from all that’s foul,
Peals out a cheerful song.
It is not only in the rose,
It is not only in the bird,
Not only when the rainbow glows,
Nor in the song of woman heard,
But in the darkest, meanest things,
There alway, alway, something sings.
’Tis not in the high stars alone,
Nor in the cup of budding flowers,
Nor in the redbreast’s mellow tones,
Nor in the bow that smiles in showers,
But in the darkest, meanest things,
In the mud and scum of things,
Even in the worst of things,
There alway, alway, something sings.
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Premiered by Katya Bakas, voice, and Cassandra Kaczor, piano.
April 29, 2017 at Ganz Hall, Chicago, IL.
Watch the premiere performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvPXISqKKT4
SOMETHING SINGS
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CHAMBER ENSEMBLE and SOLO
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Brass Quintet
(2013/2024)
Duration: 3:35
Premiered by the Chicago Sinfonietta Brass Quintet.
September 21, 2024 at Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
FANFARE, TO BEGIN ANEW
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String Quartet
(2023)
Total Duration: approx. 12 minutes
The Cyclone in Calico
Midnight Search
Legacy
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Mary Ann Bickerdyke was a Civil War hero from Galesburg, Illinois. Without formal training or official appointment, she took it upon herself to follow the Union Army as a medical professional where she revolutionized the establishment and sanitary protocols of army hospitals. She was an extremely driven woman who did whatever work she saw needed to be done, often sidestepping authority for the sake of the health and safety of the soldiers, who lovingly called her Mother Bickerdyke.
In 1861, Mary Ann Bickerdyke was selected from her congregation in Galesburg to deliver donations to an army camp in Cairo, Illinois. It was meant to be a short trip, but upon seeing the conditions of the camp, where men were dying from disease in shocking numbers, she immediately started working on improving sanitary conditions. Without having any authority to be on base, she constantly butted heads with army officers, one of whom described her as a “cyclone in calico” for how immediately and intensely she took control of the medical situation in Cairo. She continued this work for the duration of the war, following the western Union Army and earning the trust and respect of the generals. This string quartet honors three stories of her time with the Union Army, all characterized by minimalist ostinatos and pastoral themes, which represent Mother Bickerdyke’s no-frills work ethic and her strong maternal instincts.
1. The Cyclone in Calico:
The first movement starts with a pastoral theme that gets interrupted by the eerie dissonance of the impending war. The movement illustrates Mother Bickerdyke’s arrival at the Cairo camp and the horrid conditions she found there, her confrontations with disgruntled authority figures, and her work at effectively cleaning up the camp. The driving eighth notes throughout the movement represent Bickerdyke’s perpetual motion in doing her work, never stopping until the conditions improve. The conditions of the camp can be tracked through the main theme, which starts as dissonant and disjointed and eventually concludes as a soaring melody over a well-oiled machine of a repeated eighth note pattern.2. Midnight Search:
The second movement illustrates Bickerdyke’s famous midnight search: after the brutal battle of Donelson (and many subsequent battles), after all the fallen soldiers were abandoned on the frozen battlefield, Mary Ann Bickerdyke was seen going out onto the field at night with just a lantern, checking every body to make sure no one was still alive and needed help. The music depicts her slow movement through the dreadful scene.3. Legacy:
The final movement touches on Mary Ann Bickerdyke’s ability to effect lasting positive change. What started as a simple train ride from Galesburg to Cairo with donated supplies rippled outward into a lifetime of good deeds that beneted thousands of people across the entire country. This movement uses musical imitation and repeated motives to illustrate the ripple effect of her actions, with soaring themes to honor her legacy.-Michelle Isaac
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Commissioned by the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Orchestra for their 2023-2024 season.
Premiered by the Symphony String Quartet: Yu-Kun Hsiang, violin; Karen Martin, violin; Dominique Archambeau, viola; Adrian Gomez Hernandez, cello.
October 18, 2023 at Symphony Center, Galesburg, IL
October 19, 2023 at Central Congregational Church Galesburg, IL
MOTHER BICKERDYKE
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Cello and Fixed Electronics
(2017)
Duration: 8 min
A NEBULOUS EXPLORATION
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Solo Piano
(2016)
Duration: 8 min
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Pictures on a Facebook Wall is my 21st-century take on Modest Mussorgsky's virtuosic piano solo, Pictures at an Exhibition. Instead of the music depicting a promenade through an art gallery, Pictures on a Facebook Wall illustrates someone scrolling through a social media newsfeed, stopping to look at various posts. I present a musical caricature of stereotypical images or texts that frequently appear on social media, and the corresponding reactions of the viewer. The piece begins with the main theme, “Scrolling,” which peaks in curiosity as the viewer stumbles upon the aggressively confrontational “Angry Political Rant.” Irately scrolling on, the agitated viewer finds peace in the next image, “Inspirational Quote over Generic Nature Scene,” which is undoubtedly beautiful despite its lack of substance. From there, the viewer scrolls upon a relationship status that has been updated to “It's Complicated,” telling the story of two people who have grown apart. The dejected viewer then scrolls through a series of “Utter Nonsense,” which includes ridiculous images characterized by their even more preposterous hashtags. From the lazy “#pizzaismyspiritanimal,” the unnecessary “#cerealforbreakfast,” the incessant “#proudvegan” (whose theme is the musical spelling i A-me A V-E-G-A-N6 ) and “#crossfitbro” (C-F-B), to finally “#meowsic,” the music grows in absurdity as the increasingly agitated viewer scrolls on without self-control. Finally, the viewer turns off social media and all devices, and relishes the freedom and beauty of “Logging Off.”
- M.I.
PICTURES ON A FACEBOOK WALL
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Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
(2016)
Duration: 3 min