as the light begins to drift (2019) for sinfonietta or chamber orchestra
As a student at Rice, I’ve become familiar with the unusual and beautiful cloud formations that appear in East Texas skies. as the light begins to drift was inspired by their subtle interplay of light and shadow and their flowing, hazy geometries. The work opens with a burst of swirling texture, with spiraling runs and swells entangling in a chaotic sound world. The brass interjects with jagged, syncopated hits as different instruments emerge from and then vanish into the ensemble. After a spiraling downward run, a plaintive English horn melody is accompanied by a canopy of string harmonics and trills. In the second section, crystalline percussion instruments merge with subtle orchestral textures. A clarinet solo leads into a pulsing triplet ostinato, which is passed throughout the ensemble, growing in intensity until it reaches a furious climax. The work closes gently with the return of the English horn, fading to nothing in a halo of shimmering sounds. 

​as the light begins to drift for sinfonietta was written for Rice’s Hear&Now Ensemble in April 2019; the version for chamber orchestra was completed in August 2019. 
after performance of as the light begins to drift at the American Composers Orchestra's Underwood New Music Reading with mentors Derek Bermel and Melinda Wagner and other composer participants
as the light begins to drift is scored for
sinfonietta (1111 - 1110 - 2perc - pno - 11111)
or chamber orchestra (2222 - 2220 - timp + 2perc - pno - hp - str)
selected performances: 
May 2024 - Orchestra of the League of Composers, New York, NY (sinfonietta version) [upcoming]
Feb. 2022 - Red Note New Music Festival, Illinois State University, Normal, IL (sinfonietta version)
Mar. 2020 - American Composers Orchestra, Underwood Reading, New York, NY (orchestra version)
Apr. 2019 - Hear&Now Ensemble, Shepherd School of Music, Houston, TX (sinfonietta version)
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selected honors:
American Composers Orchestra Underwood Commission, Selected Composer
​ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, Honorable Mention
Boston New Music Initiative Commissioning Competition, Winner
RED NOTE Composition Competition, Winner (2021), Runner-Up (2019)
League of Composers/ISCM International Composition Competition, Winner
Society of Composers, Inc./ASCAP Commission Competition, Undergraduate Winner 
Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award Competition, Honorable Mention