Thank you to our *consortium members:
CHannel2 Percussion Duo
Kristen Klehr
Tom Corbridge
Matthew LeVeque
Anthony Edison Vilar
California State University: Fullerton
McKenzie Squires
Southern Utah University & Dr. Lynn Vartan
Galen Lemmon
Heartland Marimba
Tyler Deans & Christina Cheon
Michael Yonchak
McKenna Blenk
*consortium: group of people and institutions that financially support a composer to write new music
Visit our new music page to see the perks of joining our consortium!
Interested in joining? Meet the composers and sample their new pieces!
Out of a Mountain of Despair... by Joe W. Moore III
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his iconic "I have a Dream" speech, "out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope." [...] Music was my outlet through the stresses of the last two years and it continues to be today. I found myself digging in, making and creating more music because I desperately needed it and have been happy to share it with the musical world.
This work, a vibraphone and marimba duet, exemplifies both despair and hope. Despair is represented by the heavy weight chords on vibraphone and the fast moving lines on marimba, while hope is represented in the elegant beauty of the descending triplet lines into long tones.
I Still Believe in Our City by Christine Araoka
"I Still Believe in Our City" is inspired by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya's public art campaign with the NYC Commission on Human Rights, which addresses a prominent and disturbing trend of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 crisis.
A theme of three reoccurring notes, chords, and patterns echo throughout the piece [that] represents the Atlanta shooting that took place on March 16, 2021, where eight Asian Americans were murdered at three different spas. The musical pattern is first introduced as soft and understated, reflective of Asians being stereotyped as docile, quiet, and submissive. As the piece progresses, this theme becomes bold and unapologetic.
(i am becoming) shades of myself by Kristian De Leon
I am far from home and away from the food and culture of my people. I have been working on finding myself in the new and growing confident in a space where I have no original foundation, specifically in my cultural and queer identity.
"(i am becoming) shades of myself" comes from a sense of [exploring] self identity. It is so simple to become caught up in the swirling masses and energies of one’s environment, and sometimes it’s worthwhile to take a few moments to reflect on how these experience take effect, if at all.
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Southern California Marimba 