Though unaccustomed to composing music, my sister Cristina created a beautiful rendering of the poem by Walter de la Mare for voice and piano for a college class. Now she is graduated from college, and as a gift to her, I employed my orchestral prowess to arrange an instrumental version. As I worked it out, I was again blown away by her natural writing abilities! The tune in particular really sticks with me, and I had to make sure every section of the orchestra gets a taste of it.

Dedicated to my sister for her college graduation. Onward and upward!

This orchestral arrangement of the famous hymn tune Old Hundredth marries three verses from the text by William Kethe with a musical narrative of reflection, realization, and excitement. The piece then concludes with a gentle statement of perhaps the most well-known text for this hymn, the Doxology. Listeners familiar with the film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron may notice that its theme also makes a cameo here!

Dedicated to my sister Cristina for her 20th birthday.

My cousin asked me to write a piece inspired by the final track of Avatar: The Last Airbender for the processional of her wedding. This is the result: a gentle, loving work with many of the same gestures and textures of the beloved cartoon's finale. For the actual ceremony (held on October 12), this piece was then arranged for organ to be played live.

Dedicated to my cousin Isabella on her wedding day.

Inspired by a recent day trip to Oklahoma's Red Rock Canyon, this piece tells the tale of a short excursion to a small-scale tourism spot. With likewise light mood and low stakes, the chamber orchestra bounces its way to a more lyrical middle section before returning from whence it came in similar fashion. Anyone who's ever spontaneously whisked off to a tranquil nature spot can probably relate!

Dedicated to my mother.

Written as a musical reaction to Presidents' Day, this piece strives for a noble and uplifting atmosphere with a pinch of solemnity to pay homage to America's greatest leaders. Though far from faultless, these individuals remain in our history books for their unparalleled contributions to society that have lasted for generations. One could say the same thing about the orchestra: while it is stylistically limited like any ensemble, it has nevertheless endured for centuries.

Working on a project late at night and hearing of others struggle with their own at a similar hour inspired this piece, a brief reflection on the titular feeling. The opening harmonies are gloomy, drawing their emotive force from the exhausted kind of frustration we feel when something takes much longer than it should. However, horns and winds signal a glimmer of grim determination to press on, and as the piece settles on a pedal tone, a sense of productivity grows. Eventually, resolution is found, suggesting that even if the project is not yet completed, a desire and motivation to do so has returned.

This is an extended version of "Erato" from Muses, written to underscore the romantic Romeo and Juliet balcony scene in a theater setting.

This piece is my take on the underscore accompanying an argument scene in "Steve Jobs" (2015). Featuring the ambient string textures and subtle modal shifts that have become a staple of my minimalist aesthetic, the cue seeks to emphasize the prevailing feelings of betrayal and nostalgia put forth by Steve Wozniak in the scene. Solo woodwinds are also added later to add a light, more wistful quality to the otherwise brooding music that came before.

Life is full of transitions, and for many of us, some of the bigger transitions involve moving from one region and way of life to another and entirely new one. This piece captures the early moments of a new journey: the excitement at starting something new and the dreams that we hope to pursue. However, it also offers a tinge of nostalgia for that which we leave behind, the good memories that cannot be replaced by new experiences.

For over a year, the pandemic forced the world to become a much lonelier place. Commercial travel limitations reinstated physical distance challenges of centuries past. The closings of jobs and educational institutions prevented people from meeting their co-workers and friends. And shelter-in-place orders at the worst of times made seeing anyone at all nearly impossible. Irreplaceable by virtual communications, these activities that we took for granted became longed-for novelties of the past, erased by the pandemic and its "new normal." Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel. With infection rates falling and vaccination rates rising, restrictions are lifting and society tries desperately to pick up where it left off. Nothing is certain, but it seems like the end is near; a brighter future is within reach.

This piece, created for the 2021 Score the World Competition, was my winning cue for the final clip of the 2015 Oscar-winning film Son of Saul. Perceiving mostly sadness throughout the scene (as the protagonist Saul had just lost his son's body), I set to work creating a cue that drew attention to Saul's grief and despair above all else. The crux of my composition is the solo cello theme that plays as Saul sits bitterly in the shed.

This piece, created for Orchestral Tools and StaffPad's Outside Competition, was inspired by the feelings I experienced as I toured the Misty Fiords National Monument by floatplane. The landscape is already breathtaking from a distance, but the low flightpath between mountains and just over waterways transforms the scene into a truly tangible affair. This total immersion is captured by melting the many colors of the orchestra into one continuous stream of blissful, wonderstruck melody.

Plorate Filii Israel is the final section of Giancomo Carissimi's early Baroque oratorio Jephte. Originally for six voices and basso continuo, the work's descending bassline and cascading phrases amongst the upper voices do well to capture the grief of Jephte as he is forced to sacrifice his daughter to fulfill his vow to the Lord. Carissimi's masterpiece bears many similarities to the sorrowful cues of today's films, so it seemed like a logical step to arrange it for the engine of modern cinematic affect: strings.

Though this piece was composed primarily for Mother's Day, it is also intended to stir up anyone's most cherished memories. The cello and violin melodies are supposed to sound sweet and nostalgic, and the touches of piano and woodwinds tender and emotional. 

Dedicated to my mother.