SE 2024 Programs

Sound Ecologies Presents:

Charissa Garrigus & Brenna Green Glass Catfish Kuhli Loach

Luke Garrigus

Lake Mist

Daniel Scott Watson

Hope

D. S. Isaac

Charterhouse Suite

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Slow Dance Quick Dance Slow Air Rondo

Iris Field

Charissa Garrigus - Piano

Rob Funkhouser Charissa Garrigus, Brenna Green - Piano

Mezzanine Echoes

Brenna Green

Against the Wind

Amanda S.

Ramshorn Snail Plakat Betta

Luke Garrigus

Berceuse de la chevrette Phoenix Park Nocturne

Arthur Lourié Brenna Green - Piano

University Heights United Methodist Church Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

SoundeEcologies.org www.patreon.com/soundecologies www.facebook.com/SoundEcologies

Sound Ecologies Presents:

CHORAL REFLECTIONS D.S. Isaac

Requiem

I. Introitus Anna Wright, Soprano

II. Kyrie III Graduale: Requiem Aeternam IV. Tractus Absolve Domine V. Sequentia: Dies Irae Megan Hansen, Soprano VI. Offertorium: Domine, Jesu Christe VII. Sanctus Heidi Moranski, Soprano VIII. Agnus Dei IX. Lux Aeterna X. Pie Jesu XI. Libera Me XII. In Paradisum

Daniel Scott Watson

Virtues and Vices

The Two Kinds of People (Generosity & Greed) The Proud Pebble (Humility & Pride) Stop Me! (Patience & Wrath) Jennifer Kitzmiller, Soprano Little by Little (Diligence & Sloth) Jonathan Shinn, Tenor Experience (Love & Desire) Bethany Watson, Soprano The Cat and the Saxophone (2 A.M.) (Temperance & Gluttony) Emily Loper, Mezzo-Soprano Let Us Be Kind (Kindness & Envy) Betha Smith, Soprano Alana Tragesser, Mezzo-Soprano

Daniel Scott Watson - Director Charissa Garrigus - Piano Ruth Lilly Performance Hall Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024

About the Music Virtues and Vices by Daniel Watson Virtues and Vices is a seven-movement choral masterwork that explores the “seven deadly sins” and their associated virtues. This work explores sacred themes through secular texts while utilizing contemporary, folk, and jazz styles. After a decade in the sketchbook, this work invites performers and audiences to explore the presence of holiness and sin in humanity.

Requiem by Darrin Scott Isaac Darrin Isaac’s Requiem is a large-scale sacred choral composition that is heavily influenced by the meditative hymnody most popularly used in Taizé worship services. In 2017, Isaac spent several months in Taizé, France where he was immersed in this style of worship in the monastery where it originated. This musical genre is categorized primarily by its use of ostinatos, canons, and chant singing. This influence, combined with Isaac’s interest in motets, oratorios, and other large-scale choral works results in this newly composed piece. The requiem is dedicated to the late Father John Beitans, a catholic priest from Indianapolis and champion of the local arts scene, who commissioned Isaac’s previously composed mass setting, Taizé Mass, which was influenced by this same style of worship.

Soprano Stephanie Bailey Grace Bertsch Deb Habing Olivia Habing Megan Hansen Anna Himes Tabytha Hite Jennifer Kitzmiller Rebecca Loman Ellie Planalp Samantha Redkey Betha Smith Hadleigh Pierce Alana Tragesser Bethany Watson Anna Wright

Alto Renee Christner Samantha Fletcher Denise Fort Carrie Hawk Lauren Johnson Betsy Loper Emily Loper Iniecia Miller Catherine Mobley Heidi Moranski Zoe Patrick-Hight Allison Pena Lauren Stoffregen Caity Withers

Tenor Endy Andrahi Jeff Braun Christopher Gillie Brett Habing Corbin Huffman Josh Lamb Jessica Miller Adan Porras Jonathan Shinn Michael Stauffer Andy Swenson Dirk Tomandl Stephen Weigel

SoundeEcologies.org www.patreon.com/soundecologies www.facebook.com/SoundEcologies

Bass Stephen Ávilez Robbie Covert Rick Gamble Luke Garrigus Caleb Hardman Andrew Himelick Nicolas Hood Benjamin Lasseter Kevin Moranski Alan Morrice Logan Purcell Alan Stillerman Calen Van Curen Dylan Zyrowski

June 2nd, 2024

Circle City Orchestra with Sound Ecologies

Basile Theatre at the Historic Athenaeum

Pre-Concert Talk - 3:55 pm Concert - 4:15 pm

Program Order: •Byrhtnoth's Sword (World Premier)

•Sand Castle (World Premier)

•Some Thoughts on Middle Age. (World Premier)

Amanda S.

Eric Salazar

Rob Funkhouser

I - Con Moto II - Adagietto III - Con Moto

•Corntastrophe (World Premier)

Luke Garrigus

Program Notes: Byrhtnoth’s Sword Earl Byrhtnoth lives in history as leading a group of East Saxons against a Norse viking invasion in 991. The epic poem, The Battle of Maldon, describes the combat in vivid detail. The vikings and the Saxons began separated by a stream, but when the water level went down, Byrhtnoth valiantly offered to give the vikings safe crossing. The Saxons were severely outnumbered, and some deserted as it became obvious that the Norsemen would be victorious.

Byrhtnoth himself was described as a huge man, over six feet tall, in his sixties, and as strong as an ox. It took three vikings to take him down and his golden sword was found still in his hands, ready to fight another day. The poem depicts Byrhtnoth's final speech to rally his troops as (in modern English): Mind must be firmer, heart the more fierce, Courage the greater, as our strength Diminishes....

Amanda S.

Sand Castle Sand Castle is a choose-your-own adventure style guided-improv piece for orchestra, which aims to present a unique performance experience every time it is played. Like building a sand castle in a sandbox, performers have liberty to craft the piece their own special way - and no two performances of this piece will ever sound the same. The conductor gets to be the master engineer of this sonic sand castle, and each member of the orchestra contributes to the construction of this interpretation’s unique form. The audience, on the other hand, gets to experience the magic of communally sharing in a memorable once-in-a-lifetime performance.

My goal in creating Sand Castle is to allow the conductor to have an opportunity to dig deep in how they shape an interpretation of a piece of music, having license to interpret dynamics, melody, and form itself. For the orchestra, my goal is to give them a chance to improvise together and further develop their musicianship by engaging in a completely different form of music-making they are used to. As for the audience, I mainly just want them to have a wonderful memory of experiencing a spontaneous performance together, hopefully coming away with the notion that their own lives don’t have to be fully scripted in order to be meaningful. After all, sometimes deviating from the plan can have wonderfully unexpected results.

-Eric Salazar

Program Notes:

Some Thoughts on Middle Age. Some Thoughts on Middle Age is a tone poem with a pair of spiky bookends. In writing this piece, I was reflecting on the adage "you're only as old as you feel" and poking a little fun at myself for the times I have felt old over the course of my life. There's something comedic in the idea of a wizened 16 year old, contemplating the mysteries of music and the universe while still getting allowance from their parents.

In the spirit of this line of thinking, I have taken one of my first melodies, and built a small set of landscapes around it, reinforcing its way of persistent wandering. This melody recurs a few times in the second movement, but is most clearly heard in the glockenspiel. The first and third movements are an homage to many late nights I spent as a teenager listening to loud angular hardcore music in such exotic locales as the Knights of Columbus, church basements, and sweaty cinder block rooms.

Rob Funkhouser

Corntastrophe There’s more than corn in Indiana..

Corntastrophe is mischievous, kitschy, and terrifying. The music takes inspiration from classic Godzilla film scores, Golden-age Broadway musicals, and features a light buttering of Penderecki and Gloria Coates.

Embedded within the work are classic corninfused melodies, featuring a few of our own home-grown Indianaland tunes: 1990’s era Indiana Beach commercials “There’s more than corn in Indiana” Tariq, the CEO of Corn -“It’s corn, a big lump with knobs” On the Banks of the Wabash - “Round my Indiana homestead waves the cornfields” Oklahoma - “The corn is as high as an elephants eye” I’m excited to be in attendance for the CCO’s premiere of this piece! However, be aware that any and all compliments will be met with “Awwww, shucks.”

- Luke Garrigus

Circle City Orchestra Musicians: Violin 1: Erin Meid, Concertmaster Amy Lawson Elysa Thompson Georgina Sanchez Morales Matthew Springer Ye Jin Wickesburg Violin 2: Beth Aviv Goldhammer Donna Chan Donna Henson Haley Whalen Jonathan Cruz Viola: Eden Hany Hannah Cathers Jeni Cecil John DiTusa Cello: Ian McNinch Jarod Wilkerson Kaylee Massey Philip Kranyak Sarah Schikora Steve Ring Bass: Drew Ebersole Jessica Mitchell Mia Ochoa

Flute: Amanda Peters Cyndee Meyer Donna Olsen Kim Griffith-Fraley Recie Johnson Oboe, English Horn: Tracie Lindquist Clarinet: Brittany Semler French Horn: Andrew Poland Charlie Hartman Forrest Owen Leonard Dintenfass Trumpet: Raymond Nelson Sandra DiTusa Steven Jurek Trombone: Jason Shive Tuba: Jim Deal Percussion: Michael Power Caroline Cheng

Artistic Director & Conductor: Elliott Lentz

Circle City Orchestra Sponsors: Andante ($100 – $249) Amy Lawson Caleb Elliott Donna Chan Eileen & Steven Jurek Grant Pfifer Haley Whalen Joseph Resis Matthew Springer Raymond Nelson Stanley Walter Ye Jin Wickesberg Allegretto ($250 – $499) Douglas Reichl Sandra & John DiTusa Allegro ($500 – $999) Stephen Ring Vivace ($1,000 – $4,999) Alohna Warren

SOUND ECOLOGIES PRESENTS

THE ART SONG

BY INDIANA COMPOSERS

DAFFODILS

LUKE GARRIGUS

GEORGE REVILL, TENOR - CHARISSA GARRIGUS, PIANO

PASSERSBY

BRENNA GREEN 1.

2.

3.

AUTUMN DAY THE SPRY ARMS OF THE WIND NIGHT PIECE.

GEORGE REVILL, TENOR - BRENNA GREEN, PIANO

SACRED LOVE

D.S. ISAAC

1.

LIKE ROOTS 2. LAUGHTER CAME FROM EVERY BRICK 3.

TO THOSE SONGS GEORGE REVILL, TENOR - CHARISSA GARRIGUS, ORGAN

AFTER

AMANDA S. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

.

PERFORMED BY: AMANDA S., HENRY HARTLEY, AND CHARISSA GARRIGUS

SONGS OF TRAVEL

R. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS 1.

2.

LET BEAUTY AWAKE WITHER MUST I WANDER.

GEORGE REVILL, TENOR - CHARISSA GARRIGUS, PIANO JULY 12, 2024 @ 7PM - PRECONCERT TALK BY INDIANA NATIVE PLANTS UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Sound Ecologies Presents:

ORCHESTRAMANIA Sound Ecologies Chamber Orchestra Elliott Lentz, Conductor

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 7 p.m., Ruth Lilly Performance Hall Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center

Sound Ecologies Chamber Orchestra Musicians: Violin I: Tricia Bonner Annie Donato

Flute: Amanda S. Cat Hoelscher

Violin II: Chloe Payack Angela Pulliam

Oboe: Cameron Storey Clarinet: Katy Blocher

Viola: Erick Orr Lexi Scida

Bass Clarinet: Eric Salazar

Cello: Sean Conover Drew Sperry Ryan Wombles Bass: Grady Locke Jesse Whitman

French Horn: Sara Petokas Trumpet: Terri Ewigleben Trombone: Thomas Ewigleben

Piano: Charissa Garrigus Luke Garrigus

Saxophones: Julian Orem

Guitars: Logan Purcell

Bassoon/Contrabassoon: Sara Erb Percussion: Fox Lopez Hunter Wheatcraft Rob Funkhouser

Conductor: Elliott Lentz

Program Daughters of Rán

Amanda S.

Symphony no. 2 in F Major: Emerald Coast

Darrin Scott Isaac

I. Changing Tides II. Calm on the Shoreline III. Choctawhachee Bay IV. Emerald Coast

THE WHITE RIVER ERADIGATOR

Luke Garrigus

Intermission

Orchid Pavilion

Brenna Green

Just Talking

John Berners

Where is Your Reason Now? Rob Funkhouser, Glass Organ

Sound Ecologies Chamber Orchestra Elliott Lentz, Conductor

Rob Funkhouser

Notes on the Program

Daughters of Rán is inspired by Old Norse mythology. Ægir and his wife Rán are personifications of the sea. They have nine daughters together, who are each individual states of waves. It makes sense that the Vikings would have so many names for the sea and I was intrigued by the different personalities each daughter would have in conjunction with their waves. For instance, the daughter Hefring is a rising wave, Kólga is a cold wave, and Himinglæva is a transparent wave. I have integrated these personalities into the piece as part of an ever-changing ocean of sound. The daughters of Ægir and Rán are dangerous and menacing to sailors and often pull them from their ships into the depths below.

- Amanda S.

Symphony No. 2 in F Major: Emerald Coast is a four-movement neoclassical orchestral work that I composed during a time of great transition in my life. I initially wrote this material for piano when my wife and I moved across the country from Indianapolis to Panama City Beach for work, all while preparing for the birth of our first child. This piece draws inspiration from the bodies of water that define the landscape of our new home and expresses the excitement, anxiety, and anticipation that come with welcoming a new life into the world. Each movement of this work is a study in Sonata-Allegro form, featuring lyrical lines and dynamics that ebb and flow to evoke different images of the Emerald Coast. This piece was orchestrated and completed in 2024.

Movement I was written on our first day on the coast and expresses a hopeful longing for a new chapter in life. It reflects on the changing tides and the transitions we experience.

Movement II portrays a unique scene on the Gulf of Mexico, capturing a moment when the water was completely flat and calm. This movement expresses preparation and the desire to slow down amid anxious feelings.

Movement III evokes excitement and anticipation. The inspiration for this movement came from a thrilling sunset over Choctawhatchee Bay. The strings and woodwinds shimmer across the surface of the water, while the brass convey the majesty of the moment.

Movement IV is a celebratory piece meant to represent a sunny day at the beach, as well as the birth of my son, John Archibald Isaac.

- Darrin Scott Isaac

Notes on the Program (cont.)

THE WHITE RIVER ERADIGATOR is dedicated to the giant alligator terrorizing Indiana’s own White River and inspiring headlines from local news outlets.

“22-foot long alligator spotted in White River” June 29, 2024 “Abnormally large alligator seen near Waverly, IN White River public access” September 4th, 2024 “Historic Indiana White River Swim cancelled following multiple reports of large alligator.”

July 30, 2024 "Step Aside, Bigfoot: Indiana’s 'Eradigator' Becomes the New Face of Natural Terror" October 2, 2024 Indiana Observer - Luke Garrigus

Orchid Pavilion commemorates the 4th-century AD gathering of Chinese literati during the annual Spring Purification Festival on Mount Kuaiji. Wang Xizhi, host of the competition and one of China’s most celebrated calligraphers, invited everyone to the Orchid Pavilion to compose poetry and drink wine. When a cup of wine floating in the stream stopped before an individual, that person had to compose a poem or forfeit his turn and drink the wine.

Wang Xizhi immortalized the Orchid Pavilion Gatherings in Lantingji Xu(Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion), with the first verse reflected below, translated from the original Chinese.

In the ninth year of Yonghe, at the onset of late spring, We have gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the North of Kuaiji Mountain for the purification ritual.

All the literati, the young and the aged, have congregated.

This location has high mountains and steep hills, dense woods, and tall bamboo, as well as a clear, limpid stream reflecting the surroundings.

We sit by a redirected stream, allowing the wine goblets to float beside us on its winding course.

Although without the accompaniment of music, the wine and poem reciting are sufficient for us to exchange our feelings.

On this day, the sky is clear, the air is fresh, and a gentle breeze is blowing.

- Brenna Green

Notes on the Program (cont.)

Just Talking begins with the percussion fidgeting and clearing the orchestra's throat--ahem--and soon the violins begin to speak. The bass clarinet and trombone respond and soon most of the orchestra is talking among themselves. This piece is conversational; almost every phrase played is a solo. Outbursts, bickering and other modes of chatter form waves that rise and fall musically over the five minutes' duration.

The piece is meant, on the one hand, to have humor--I love those performers who do wonderful speech mimicking with their instruments. But, by getting loose and having each instrument show an independent and rebellious character, it is also a response to the traditional, incredibly unified mode of orchestral playing. Further, simple conversation; talking and listening; being open, is something we need more of. Obviously most of the world's problems could be solved with the right kind of conversation. So--here is a moment of music about talking.

- John Berners Other than being the best yellable tagline I could invent for a wrestling-themed orchestra concert, Where Is Your Reason Now?, is a piece I have wanted to be able to write for a long time, bringing together the world of my invented instruments with classical composition. The more serious meaning behind the title settled in as I was struggling toward a career change earlier this year, and giving Kierkegaard a run for his money in terms of my ability to “keep the faith”. It also comes at the end of a marathon series of commissions put on by Sound Ecologies and others that has allowed me to rediscover my compositional voice and get my seal legs back. The end result is what I hope ends up being a piece that is greater than the sum of its parts, which I have kept as simple as possible.

The glass organ, which you will see me perform on along with the orchestra tonight, has been my musical ship of theseus for the last three years. It is played by getting your hands wet, and rubbing along a “keyboard” of glass rods. These in turn act like a sort of violin bow for each note that I am playing. Finding my voice on this instrument has been a trying process on a lot of levels. First and foremost, getting the instrument to behave consistently has been a constant project, and just about everything on the instrument has been replaced once or twice in pursuit of better musical results. On the other hand, building a performance practice on an instrument with a wide physical interface but small tonal range has forced me to think in new ways about both small and large ideas. In this piece, you will hear me droning in harmony with the orchestra more than leading it, perhaps more similar to sea than ship.

This piece for me is a tribute to faith in uncertain moments, and the trust one builds when seeing a plan through the difficulty. Whether alone or with another, I believe these moments are when we begin to know ourselves and each other.

- Rob Funkhouser