Bred in Stillness

Written in the summer of 2023, bred in stillness brings together the poetry of Emma DeLaRosa with music written by Dvorin. Performed by Nicholas Salerno's chamber ensemble in December of 2023, the piece featured the spoken word performance of Karen Klein. DeLaRosa's poetry deals with stillness, isolation, and stagnation in various stages of life. Dvorin's music serves as another player in the drama that unfolds, framing the scenes and providing an added depth to DeLaRosa's poetry. This piece was very important for me in thinking about how I can work with text in my music. I know that I want my music to involve something very real and emotional, and I think that text and human action is the best way to go about this. With the addition of text, I am able to immediately access very specific emotions. The speaker acts as a soloist, with a familiar soloist/ ritornello structure emerging in the piece. This was also the first piece that I wrote using a complete electroacoustic model, meaning I modeled the entire piece with samples and synths and then transcribed what I had written. The harmonies and rhythms of this piece are thus very influenced by nature. I specifically chose an ensemble that was made up of only "low" instruments for the most part, giving the piece a very dark feeling. Any sounds that were impossible or difficult for instruments to produce were given to the electronic tape part that follows the players throughout the piece. Instead of one fixed media part, the tape is cued throughout, so the speaker has the ability to improvise with timing. My favorite section is the eight: Fisherman. With chords based on distorted spectrums, I try to recreate the feeling of being alone while still being aware of a higher power above you.

December Thing

Caved in

To accompany the play written by DeLaRosa and set design by Barrat, I have composed a prelude, a postlude, 3 interludes for scene changes, and a Max Patch to give 4 channel ambience during the scenes. DeLaRosa's play deals with people who abandon society to isolate themselves, thinking they are a danger to those around them. My prelude and postlude exist to frame the play, providing a sonic exploration of DeLaRosa's exploration of desire, shame, and spirituality. During the play itself, my music aims to establish a clear "other" when the characters are in the cave itself. To achieve this, stirng players and dancers shuffle around the hall, giving a sense of a group of people walking around the audience through vast tunnels. I also use 4 channel surround sound to play frequencies at the very edge of human hearing, just giving a "colored silence." In the finale of the play, in complete darkness, dancers destroy the set piece on stage with hammers, while pounding synths resound throughout the audience.