Wiib'
Wiib'
Album Released February 22, 2025 at Crosstown Arts - Memphis, TN
Embedded Files
Wiib'
Wiib', the Mayan Q'eqchi' word for two, represents the second composer-collaborative release for the Sounds New Chapter of the National Association of Composers USA. This album represents music from big cities to not-quite-cities (rural locales hidden or near forests and wilderness). Wiib' represents an eclectic mix of story-telling: death and life, dust and joy, or psychosis and bliss—across electrifying chamber music to fixed media textures.
Titles and Composers
Gulls Circling a Bay | Paul Dice
Nook's Pluck | Jewel Dirks
Hidden Elements | Ian Evans Guthrie
Body Parts | Sheli Nan
Shape Study: Music for Metamorphosis | Mike McFerron
With Solitude and Song | Alan Goldspiel
missing pages | Indigo Knecht
Dans le piano | Robert Fleisher
E = mc^2 | Alex Shapira
Dust and Shadows | John G. Bilotta
Road Trip | Paul Dice
Kennesaw Mountain Battle Letters | David R. Peoples
Gulls Circling a Bay | Paul Dice
Sarah Grimes and Ben Odhner, violin; Lydia Grimes, viola; Sonia Mantell, violoncello
"Gulls Circling a Bay was inspired by hours of watching and documenting the flight patterns and near collisions of seagulls soaring over Rowley's Bay in Door County, Wisconsin - a picturesque Lake Michigan peninsula full of wildlife and dazzling scenery. This marks the 7th time this piece has been performed, and the 2nd time it has been performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra. Other performances include those in Novosibirsk, Russia; Beijing China; at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina; the TUTTI Festival in Ohio; Minnesota Orchestra’s Donor Party at Orchestra Hall, and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis."
Nook's Pluck | Jewel Dirks
acousmatic
Hidden Elements | Ian Evans Guthrie
composer, piano
"Hidden Elements is one of several of my collaborations with the choreographer Alexis Drabek on the topics of sounds of our environment, the exploration of different elements, the nostalgia of a cleaner world, and the hope of a better future. Specifically, this piece explores the elements of the world according to a Chinese formula: Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and then a return to Earth. You may have other interpretations, but whatever they may be, I hope you thoroughly enjoy this work hidden with various gems, sounds, and other elements!"
Body Parts | Sheli Nan
Trio Solano: Daniel Flanagan, violin; Paul Ehrlich, viola; Victoria Ehrlich, violoncello
(with guest artists) Karen Shinozaki Sor, violin; Richard Worn, double bass
"When is a dream just a dream? When is a nightmare just a nightmare? Could this be a portent of things to come? Could it be a warning? She thinks she has woken up in a cold sweat. She looks for her glasses remembering the terror. Is she laying on one of those beds about to be hacked into by multiple saws of different sizes, her eyelids barely able to penetrate the gloom, not knowing day or night? Desperate to stay awake, she listens to her heartbeat quicken as she hears the ominous steps coming toward her……"
Shape Study: Music for Metamorphosis | Mike McFerron
acousmatic
"Shape Study: Music for Metamorphoses for fixed media was written at the end of 2008 for the Lewis University Theater Department production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. An adaptation of Ovid’s eponymous narrative poem, this production of Zimmeraman’s play was directed by Dr. Kevin Trudeau. Although the composition is, on one hand, intended to serve as a prelude to the production of this play, it is also hoped that the work stands by itself as an independent electroacoustic composition."
With Solitude and Song | Alan Goldspiel
Echoes
Links
The End of the Song
Melanie Williams, soprano
Alan Goldspiel, guitar
"With Solitude and Song was commissioned by and written in honor of Ms. Barbara Bonfield on the occasion of her eightieth birthday. The poetry by Emma Lazarus speaks of the human condition, the wonders of nature and our place in it. The musical elements of the songs have taken great inspiration from the poetic meters found therein and the life of the poet. It is not inconsequential to this work and it’s dedicatee that Lazarus, whose poem The Colossus is inscribed on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty, worked tirelessly on behalf of those who merely wanted a better life."
missing pages | Indigo Knecht
acousmatic
"Inspired by Madame Pratten’s “Episode of Life," missing pages is my own episode of life, focusing on the mental agony I face due to my struggle with memory loss as induced by depression and anxiety. Special thanks to my life partner, Runa Klem, for the guitar samples."
Dans le piano | Robert Fleisher
acousmatic
"Dans le piano is the composer’s minimally edited 1970 improvisation inside the upright piano of his childhood home on NYC’s Upper West Side; Laura Nyro’s father was among its tuners. The title’s allusion to Debussy’s Pour le piano reflects the primacy of timbre in this youthful experiment. Premiered more than four decades later at Electronic Music Midwest (Lewis University, 2012), Dans le piano has since been heard at conferences and festivals in the U.S. (CMS, NYCEMF, Parma, SCI, SEAMUS, VU Symposium) and the U.K (Audiograft). Dans le piano was previously released on Petrichor Records’ New Music by Living Composers series." (additional audio engineering by Erdem Helvacıoğlu)
E = mc^2 | Alex Shapira
acousmatic
E = mc^2 is a musical representation of Einstein’s equation, which states that energy (waves) and mass (particles) are interchangeable, being different forms of the same thing. The chromatic theme appears initially in wave form (with long, sustained notes), and is also rendered in pointillistic style, evoking myriads of particles. engaged in frantic, chaotic movement. Although it is hard to notice at times, both aspects (wave and particle) co-exist at all times during the piece, like the two parts of the world’s most famous equation.
Dust and Shadows | John G. Bilotta
Jenny Estrin, violin; Sequoia, piano
"Dust and Shadows is a meditation on a letter of Charlotte Brontë’s. Of the six Brontë children, all save Charlotte died of tuberculosis in childhood or early adulthood. After the deaths of Emily and Anne, she wrote “They are both gone, and so is poor Branwell, and my elder sisters, dead long ago, and now Papa has me only: the weakest, puniest, least promising of his six children. It is over. Branwell, Emily, Anne are gone like dreams. One by one, I have watched them fall asleep on my arm, and closed their glazed eyes, and seen them buried one by one.""
Road Trip | Paul Dice
Sarah Grimes and Ben Odhner, violin; Lydia Grimes, viola; Sonia Mantell, violoncello; John Jensen, piano; David Hagedorn, percussion
"I’ve always loved taking road trips. They’re a time when I’m free from distractions as wheels turn as freely in my mind as they do on the road. I ponder my past and look to my future with renewed hope and vigor. I think about friends and loved ones who are still with me and those who have moved on. As my senses take in the purr of the car’s engine and the daylight giving way to twilight, I let my thoughts and emotions dictate the shift of directions in this piece and determine when I’ve reached my destination."
Kennesaw Mountain Battle Letters | David R. Peoples
1. War is Hell
2. Let No Mute Stand at the Door
3. A Bullet to My Ribs, I'll Haunt this Battlefield Soon
Adam Frey, euphonium; with fixed media
"This piece is an imaginative portrayal of a soldier writing letters to President Lincoln, reflecting on the Kennesaw Mountain battle. Each movement of the cycle presents a quasi-historical narrative, employing musical painting to depict the elements of battle. Artillery is evoked through dynamic scales, advancing forces through staccato thirds, and hope through large intervals. The result is a vivid and emotional retelling of the soldier’s experience and the trajectory of the war."
Paul Dice studied composition at the Boston Conservatory and with Lou Harrison in California and Florida. His commissions and awards have come from around the world, which has fostered his enjoyment in composing for traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments; Javanese gamelan; Philippine kulintang; Western symphonies, chamber ensembles and soloists and a host of other genre. Having been performed throughout China, Russia, Vietnam, Australia and the US, his music is primarily inspired by movement and sounds found in nature, and practices used in other art forms or cultural traditions that he adapts for use in his own special brand of music.
Sarah Grimes and Ben Odhner, violin; Lydia Grimes, viola; Sonia Mantell, cello
Although educated in classical music (Eastman DMA), I spent most of my life in psychology as counselor for the seriously mentally ill and professor of brain anatomy and neurology. I'm surrounded by the Wind River Indian Reservation, now retired, old, and arthritic. My consuming passions in life remain roaming wilderness areas with my pack goats and composing from natural sounds. All my music is created from sounds that are around me that I’ve recorded, such as coyotes, birds, donkeys, branches. I explore many different ways that sounds can be heard through various effects and sampling tools.
Composer, performer, researcher, and collaborator Ian Evans Guthrie has received the Mile High Freedom Band Commission, 1st prize for the Noosa-ISAM and Arcady Composition competitions, a nomination for a 2020 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and other accolades. His works have been performed fEARnoMUSIC, the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Mile High Freedom Band, Moore Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, and others. His most recent works include a clarinet sonata and two orchestral works, with several solo, chamber, and large ensemble works underway. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at Calvary University, and an accompanist at the Interlochen Arts Camp and Kansas City Ballet. More information at ianguthriecomposer.com.
Sheli Nan composes music that defies boundaries. She is a composer, teacher, pianist, harpsichordist, percussionist, and author. Her Baroque and Classical training, coupled with having lived all over the world, produce a unique sound: a 21st century harmony. Giving credit to earlier musical iterations, what she composes is fresh, invigorating, accessible and moving. Her music is performed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. She composes from solo harpsichord and piano up to string quartets, chamber music and orchestra. Her choral music encompasses opera (and librettos,) Oratorios and Requiems (and texts). Sheli has over one 110 published works in the ASCAP library.
Founded during the pandemic shutdown in 2020, Trio Solano performs traditional and new string trio repertoire throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. They received a grant from InterMusic SF in 2021, a Silver Medal from Global Music Awards in 2022, and frequently team up with pianist Miles Graber.
Karen Shinozaki Sor, violin
Richard Worn, double bass.
Mike McFerron is professor of music at Lewis University, and he is founder and co-director of Electronic Music Midwest (http://www.emmfestival.org). His music can be heard on numerous commercial recordings as well as on his website at http://www.bigcomposer.com.
Alan Goldspiel is a composer/guitarist who has performed premieres at New York’s Carnegie and CAMI Recital Halls. Holding graduate degrees from Yale University and The Hartt School, Dr. Goldspiel is Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo. He is the recipient of the Louisiana State Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award and the Alabama State Council on the Arts Artist Fellowship Award for artistic excellence. His music has been featured at the International Low Flutes Festival, Research on Contemporary Composition, College Music Society, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, North American Saxophone Alliance, and International Clarinet Association.
Melanie Williams enjoys an active career performing solo, chamber, opera and choral repertoire. The lyric soprano earned the MM/DMA in Vocal Performance at Louisiana State University, where she studied with Metropolitan Opera soprano Martino Arroyo and New York City Opera tenor Robert Grayson. Williams has twice traveled to England as soprano soloist for the International Cathedral Music Festival, performing in London, Canterbury and Salisbury. Concert appearances in the Southeast include engagements with the Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Kingsport Symphonies. Williams is Professor of Music at the University of Montevallo.
Indigo Knecht is a composer, tubist, and educator fascinated with the challenges people face as they navigate this world. Through a synthesis of contemporary classical music and rock & roll, Indigo explores themes such as environmentalism, mental illness, and self-realization. Indigo is currently in their third year at University of Miami pursuing a DMA in Composition under the guidance of Dr. Dorothy Hindman. Their multimedia installation, “The Chanting of Coral Reefs: Bringing Awareness to the Endangerment of Coral Reefs Through the Sonification of Settling Larvae,” received the 2024 Presser Foundation Graduate Award, with the premiere set for April 2025. After graduating in May 2025, Indigo intends on teaching music theory and composition at the university level while continuing to develop expansive compositions that bring awareness to issues in our world with groundbreaking technology.
Robert Fleisher’s music has been heard throughout the U.S. and in more than a dozen other countries, and has been released on nearly as many record labels. His acoustic compositions have been called “eloquent” (Ann Arbor News), “lovely and emotional” (Musicworks), “astoundingly attractive” (Perspectives of New Music), and “ingenious” (The Strad). His electroacoustic works have been described as “fascinating” (Fanfare), “endearingly low-tech” and possessing “a rich, tactile texture” (New York Times). The author of Twenty Israeli Composers (1997), Fleisher is also a contributing composer and essayist in Theresa Sauer’s Notations 21 (2009). He is Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University.
Alex’s music is performed throughout the US and Europe, he received composition awards from competitions such as the Vienna Classical Music Academy, Saint-Saens International Competition, Vivaldi International Competition, Fidelio International Piano Composition Competition. After a successful hi-tech career, Alex is now pursuing his passion for music again, creating music at the intersection of East and West, which balances between artistic intuition and structural rigor, always prioritizing the authentic emotional experience. Alex lives in Dallas with his wife, they have two adult children and two granddaughters. He likes to hike, jog, meditate and enjoys modern art and a good laugh.
John Bilotta was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, but has spent most his life in the San Francisco Bay Area. His works have been performed by soloists and ensembles around the world including Rarescale, Earplay, the Talea Ensemble, the Washington Square Contemporary Music Society, Chamber Mix, North/South Consonance, Musica Nova, Avenue Winds, City of Tomorrow, Presidio Ensemble, Boston String Quartet, Trio Casals, San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Oakland Civic Orchestra, San Francisco Cabaret Opera, Bluegrass Opera, Boston Metro Opera, Thompson Street Opera, New Fangled Opera, Floating Opera, and VocalWorks. Recordings of his works are distributed by Naxos.
When not performing as a classical violinist, Jenny Estrin moonlights as a fiddler in a folk band, does recording studio work, and teaches private lessons. Ms. Estrin’s formal training began at Indiana University’s Young Violinist Program with Mimi Zweig, and at the Jacobs School of Music as a Masters student. She attended the Garth Newell Music Center as a string quartet fellowship recipient before relocating to Portland, Oregon, where she began developing the varied performing and teaching career she enjoys today. Jenny is concertmaster of the Eugene Symphony and performs in the Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Opera orchestras.
As a classical pianist, British-born Sequoia has worked for such companies as the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Rambert Dance Company, the BBC Singers and the acclaimed music theater group, the Clod Ensemble. Since his arrival in Portland, he is now working for Portland Opera & Opera Theater Oregon. He also enjoys working in progressive music outside of the classical box, and has performed and collaborated with the likes of rock legends Mark E Smith (The Fall), Damo Suzuki (Can), and jazz/improvising luminaries Meredith Monk, Jacqui Dankworth and Barb Jungr.
John Jensen, piano
David Hagedorn, percussion
David R. Peoples writes with a ginger ale in hand on a balcony surrounded by forest. It’s from Flowery Branch, Georgia, surrounded by nature, that all his compositions begin before being released into and around the world. David enjoys sharing his own and other composers’ new music in recitals. From April 2021 to May 2022, he presented recitals featuring 100+ composers in all 50 states through the National Association of Composers, Music Teachers National Association, Research on Contemporary Composition Conference, and Electrophonic Concerts. David is the founder and owner of Space Bear Records.
As a major ambassador of the euphonium, Adam Frey has more than one hundred and twenty works that have been composed or arranged for him. Adam has soloed with orchestras and bands the world over, including the world famous Boston Pops, U.S. Army Orchestra and Harvard Pops. He has also performed with brass bands and wind bands in Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong, Brazil and the United States. For 14 years, he has hosted a summer program for middle school, high school and college students called the International Euphonium Tuba Festival.
Carrot Salsa
(as experienced with Q'eqchi' Mayan People near Petén Itzá)
WARNING: Very Hot and Can Burn skin if not Using Gloves
Roast for about 25 minutes
turning occasionally (keep separated on a baking sheet)
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
Large Carrot (loosely chopped)
De-stemmed Habanero Chiles (minimum 2)
Half of a White Onion (loosely chopped)
Combine Into a Blender
Roasted Parts
Small Amounts (1-2 TBSP) of Vinegar, Oil
1 Freshly Squeezed Lime
Pinch of Salt
Pulverize into a paste, adding water as needed to adjust consistency
Great as dip for veggies or chips
Amazing on meats or added to soups
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