When I played “Blues” for my students some of them told me that it sounded like “Thrash Rock on Piano.” [I kind of love that] Others have said it reminds them of some of Ligeti’s etudes. It was actually based on some pretty complex...
“Floating” imagines weightless travel through the air. Pianistically, it requires very strenuous left-hand-over-right-hand crossing and intricate pedal work. The goal is to make these difficult movements while having the music feel effortless and...
Sometimes it’s an image that inspires music. This short clip I took in Toyama, Japan has always mesmerized me. It’s so epic and moody! My piece, “Temple Bells,” tries to capture the stillness, the mystery, and the meditative quality of the image....
“Piccadilly Circus” is dedicated to the pianist Jovanni Rey de Pedro, who embodied the extroverted spirit of this highly rhythmic piece. Although this piece has a British title, the music actually references some elements of the choro, a Brazilian form of ragtime. The...
Have you ever felt conflicted between following in traditions and seeking your own path? That’s the subject of my new composition, “Homesick.” This piece is built around two pairs of melodies – the outer pair (in the pianist’s pinkies) moves in contrary...
Imagine – you’re standing on the Brooklyn Bridge on a perfect summer evening. The sky is painted in purple and pinks. The clouds are embossed with reflected light. The evening’s glow is reflected not only in the river below you, but off of all the...
Allow me to introduce “Van Gogh’s Dream,” which – for me – conjures images of a European cobblestone street on a drizzly day. You’ll hear the swirling of Van Gogh’s night skies in a Brad Mehldau-influenced piano texture, written in...
