Elainie Lillios - Among Fireflies Among Fireflies sets up an implied musical story within the first minute, and not following through is a disadvantage to the work as a whole. Elainie Lillios’ Among Fireflies for alto flute and live electronics begins with an unsettling flurry of air noises. The entirety of the work is comprised of alternating sections, the first of which is the loud, noisy opening, and the second is a gentle, mysterious melody which floats in around the 01:45 mark of the video. Lillios spends the rest of the piece slowly combining these two timbral ideas, as the electronics continue to invade the sounds of the flute. It is interesting how Lillios is able to create multiple countermelodies underneath the solo flute, especially the low quasi-bassline.  Some of the electronics seem random and unrelated to the music. There are multiple sound effects, such as bird calls, which simply do not always fit. Among Fireflies sets up an implied musical story within the f...

 Elainie Lillios - Undertow Undertow’s build up is so fluidly natural that one does not recognize the crazy takeover by the live electronics until it is almost too late. Undertow is a simply gorgeous work for bass clarinet and live electronics. Lillios creates a sound world which is dependent on the max patch while still feeling natural to the acoustic instrument. I think this occurs due to the patch material being reliant upon the performer’s input and the length of time it takes for the work to fully develop. The undulating resonance and feedback in the electronics contribute to Lillios’ exploration of multiphonics which fit well on the instrument. The slow-moving pool of sound is gradually broken by the introduction of short, low slaps, which are then bounced around in the electronics like a pebble thrown into a still lake (listen to the full performance here ). Undertow’s build up is so fluidly natural that one does not recognize the crazy takeover by the live electronics until...

 Jeff Herriott - at the whim of the current Herriott truly desired to create a wash of sound over the audience, which never completely dies. at the whim of the current , as its namesake suggests, takes the audience on a hypnotic ride down the vast river of sound created by the amplified vibraphone. Herriott uses alternating timbres, two different mallets and a bow, and has the pedal held down for the entire duration of the work. These together with the electronics suggest that Herriott truly desired to create a wash of sound over the audience, which never completely dies. It takes a thoughtful performer to be able to musically interpret this slow-moving music. By the time Lacerda plays the final, incredibly tonal cadence which outlines a major triad, we feel a complete and utter serenity to the current (watch the performance here ).

 Jeff Herriott - Hollow Herriott beautifully captures the spirit of such an unusual instrument.      Hollow is an interesting electroacoustic work because it takes a while to recognize which sounds are authentic and which are electronic. Herriott beautifully captures the spirit of such an unusual instrument, the berimbau, unaccompanied. Hollow is comprised of limited pitch material, with the primary focus of the work being the flurries of articulation from both the live performer and pre-recorded electronics. The minimal manipulation of the electronic loops allows for the piece to create a natural feeling, as though the performer is actually playing all of the notes heard.       The only additional electronic sounds, a nauseating swirl of reverb created by the slurry of notes, come into the foreground during the closing minutes. They allow the audience to fully appreciate the overtones and resonance created by the berimbau. While long for a solo...

 benjamin damann - long is a year to one who waits damann's solo is a vibrant work, somewhere between a jazz master's improvised solo and an exploration into the wide-ranging timbres of the saxophone. long is a year to one who waits  is a lively work for solo saxophone premiered at  New Music Mosaic 's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert . benjamin damann  combines his love of jazz and contemporary classical music to create a work with intricate implied harmonies, rhythmic intensity, and purposeful extended techniques which add to rather than subtract from the music. It is difficult to create an unaccompanied work which really 'grooves', but damann's piece successfully allows the audience to feel the music (listen to the performance here ). Nick Ortiz , saxophonist, further lends his skills as a player to the variety of idioms presented by damann. long is a year to one who waits  is heavily complimented by the fact that Ortiz is an accomplish...

 Gregory Rowland Evans - Lepiota   Lepiota  was an interesting experiment which was several decades too late to be musically worthwhile. Lepiota  is a short work, less than two minutes, for solo viola which also premiered at  New Music Mosaic 's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert . Composed by Gregory Rowland Evans , Lepiota 's brief, tortured sound world is comprised of extended squeaks and squawks normally associated with experimentalist movements. Unfortunately for Evans, he and his compositions seem to be unaware that time has passed (watch the performance here ). Roselyn Hobbs , a violist and long-time champion of contemporary music, gave a begrudgingly well-executed performance of Evans' work. She was able to perfectly simulate the sounds of creaking doors and computer-inspired bleeps with incredible accuracy and a stunning array of dynamic contrast for a solo instrument. Lepiota  was an interesting experiment which was several decades too ...

 Leah Reid - Fall, Leaves, Fall Fall, Leaves, Fall  is more of an uncomfortable recitation of Emily Brontë's poem of the same name than a composition. Fall, Leaves, Fall  was yet another work premiered at  New Music Mosaic 's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert . The work, composed by Dr. Leah Reid for amplified saxophone and electronics, falls into the increasingly prevalent category of 'new music for saxophone', consisting of stereotypical extended techniques, limited usage of the actual instrument, and more focus on the background noise, this case made to sound like the ruffling of leaves, rather than actual music. Reid describes the piece as an "aphoristic composition", despite there being absolutely no subtlety nor clearness of thought. Fall, Leaves, Fall  is more of an uncomfortable recitation of Emily Brontë's poem of the same name than a composition. It is always easy to tell when a composer is stifled by a concert theme, in th...

 Michael Berkowitz - Amuse Bouche The beauty does not last very long, and is soon overcome with cacophonous flutter-tonguing and multiphonics. Amuse Bouche  is a five-minute unaccompanied work premiered by saxophonist Stephen Ta mas  during  New Music Mosaic 's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert . Michael Berkowitz gives the piece a fitting title, as an amuse-bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d' œ uvre. In the same way, Amuse Bouche  opens the "Decay" half of the concert with an individual 'bite' of solo saxophone (watch the recording here ). Berkowitz begins Amuse Bouche  with a hauntingly decadent melody, immediately grabbing our attention with gestating half-steps. It is in this opening where Tamas is able to bring out his superb sense of musicality. His intense and exaggerated phrasing add to Berkowitz's intention. Unfortunately, the beauty does not last very long, and is soon overcome with cacophonous flutter-tonguing and multip...

 Sarah Zahorodni - in my window are 6 moons Zahorodni instantly creates a new sound world, shoving the audience into a seemingly primitive landscape. in my window are 6 moons  is a short, ethereal work for tenor saxophone and electronics.  Sarah Zahorodni  utilizes the sense of wonder created with her fixed media track to take full advantage of barely three minutes worth of music. The work was premiered during  New Music Mosaic 's "Timbre Vol. 1: Growth/Decay" virtual concert by saxophonist Andrew Hosler . Hosler is the ideal collaborator for new music, adeptly blending the sounds from his instrument with the electronics (see the full performance here ). Surprisingly, the highlight of Zahorodni's piece is not Hosler's beautiful tone and technique, but rather her expertly crafted electronic accompaniment track. in my window are 6 moons  does not feel like many contemporary works for solo instrument and electronics, as the piece is fully integrated rather tha...