Sunrise

1999 | soprano/piano

Poem by Mary Oliver

Song 3 of Sunflowers

Commissioned by Dr. Adelaide Whitaker.

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

• m. 28: If breath is a problem, you can end the word "dawn" on beat 1, breathe, start a melisma on beat 2 with the word "aah" (continuing through beat 2 of m. 29), and then return to the printed score. 

• m. 43: the "ry" of "eve-ry" should be beneath the A in the voice part.

• m. 89: I have changed the notes to a B, rising to an E, rising to an F sharp for the words "it is an-"

Swimmers on the Shore

2004 | baritone/piano and mezzo/piano

Poem by David Mason, 4:15 minutes in length.

Commissioned by The West Chester University Poetry Conference, 2004.

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

• m. 34, last note in the RH of the piano should be a D natural.

Tableau

2013, rev. 2017 | countertenor/piano

Poem by Countee Cullen (1903-1946). Poems used by permission of the Amistad Research Center, New Orleans, LA. Premiere: December 13, 2013, Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor, MI, with Darryl Taylor, countertenor and Kathryn Goodson, piano.

Song 3 of Sable Pride

Commissioned by Darryl Taylor.

Take Pity

2016 | SATB Vocal Quartet/Piano 4-Hands

Text from a speech by Susan B. Anthony

Song 3 of cycle Are Women People?

Commissioned by The Hanson Institute for American Music at the Eastman School of Music and the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership. 

Thanks A Latte

2021 | soprano/piano

Commissioned by Laura Strickling for her 40@40 project, this humorous song sets the poetry of Caitlin Vincent. The sheet music is available for PDF download on my site at MusicaNeo.com (hard copies are available through Classical Vocal Reprints) — and the premiere recording is available on streaming platforms everywhere.

The Act

2010 | soprano, tenor and piano

Poem by H.L. Hix. This is a theatre piece, and can be considered a very short opera. The work is approximately 5 minutes long and should be staged. This intriguing poem is about a circus knife thrower and his wife.

This song was commissioned by The Sorel Organization as part of a grant to New Triad of Collaborative Arts for their retrospective of my music at SongFest 2010 in Malibu, CA. The work premiered June 19, 2010 at Pepperdine University in Malibu, with tenor Blaise Pascal, soprano Andrea Leyton-Mange and pianist Andrew Rosenblum.

The Ancestor

2003 | baritone/piano

Poem by Paul Muldoon.

Song 2 of The Throwback

Listen to a performance of The Ancestor on YouTube, thanks to Albany Records.

Click here to purchase an mp3 from Amazon.

The Apple Orchard

2004 | Versions for tenor, baritone or soprano with piano

Poem by Dana Gioia, about 3.5 minutes total.

View and buy printable sheet music (PDF) for tenor, baritone or sopranowith piano

Listen to a performance of this piece on YouTube, thanks to Albany Records.

To watch the wonderful baritone rendition by Shea Owens and Roxana Ionescu-Beck please click here.

Click here to purchase an mp3 from Amazon.

The Ballad Singer

1995 | baritone/piano or chamber orchestra

Poem by Thomas Hardy, approximately 2 minutes in length.

Echo and The Ballad Singer can be sung as a set by baritone.

To see the wonderful rendition by baritone Shea Owens and pianist Roxana Ionescu-Beck, please click here.

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

• m. 1, LH downbeat should have an accent.
• In m. 103, the piano should dim to a mezzo piano.

T

The Blood Jet

Song cycle: Morning Song; The Rival; Kindness; Balloons

2006 | soprano/piano

Poems by Sylvia Plath, approximately 10 minutes for the cycle.

Commissioned by Dr. Adelaide Whitaker. Dedicated to soprano Sari Gruber. Published in June 2008.

The premiere recording with soprano Sari Gruber and pianist/composer Lori Laitman will be out on Naxos in December 2019, on a double CD of Lori's songs.