2020

Shostakovich Prelude Orchestration for chamber orchestra (2'12"):

2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpets in C, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba, Timpani, Suspended Cymbals, Triangle, Bass Drum, Violin I and II, Viola, Cello, and Contrabass.

This is an orchestration of the C major Prelude, Op. 87, No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich. It was written in my third year at CUA.

Rachenitsa for oboe, viola and piano (3ʹ)

This piece was written in my third semester at George Mason University. It was inspired by Bulgarian folk dances, called rachenitsas, which are often fast and written in 7/8 time. The piece opens with a slow introduction and moves into a quick rachenitsa dance. The tempo changes were inspired by various czárdás melodies I have played and heard in the past. The czárdás is typically a Hungarian dance form, but some Bulgarian rachenitsas and other dances are also known to begin with a slow introduction before moving into faster tempi. 

Premiere: New Sound Collective Presents: Student Composer’s Concert, December 1, 2016, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; Adam Rothenberg, oboe; William Hayes, viola; Daniela Acosta Rodriguez, piano. 

Symphonic Dance for symphony orchestra (3ʹ50ʹʹ):

2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 3 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba, Timpani, Triangle, Bass drum, Crash Cymbals, Temple Blocks, Tambourine, Wind chimes, Chimes, Violins I and II, Viola, Cello, and Contrabass. 

This piece was written in my second semester at George Mason University. It is a symphonic dance in 6/8 time, which was inspired by several different Bulgarian folk melodies, as well as various waltzes that I have listened to by Strauss, Shostakovich and others. I grew up listening to Bulgarian folk music, and still continue to listen to it today. It is a big inspiration in my life and in my compositions, and its lively, heavily syncopated rhythms often serve to create pieces that are both fun to play and to listen to. 

Premiere: The Mason Symphony Orchestra ensemble readings, May 4, 2016, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. 

Debussy Voiles Orchestration  

This is an orchestration of Claude Debussy's second Prelude for piano from Book I.

Folk Dances for bassoon and piano (15ʹ)

Another piece inspired by Bulgarian folk dances. It is a small suite of five folk dances for bassoon and piano, each one featuring different elements and characteristics. The idea and inspiration for the piece came to me as I was playing Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56, a suite of six short piano pieces. Each folk dance for bassoon and piano, like the Romanian dances, is in a different key and has a different mood, but the audience can feel an overall connection between all the dances. Each title is an allusion to a folktale storyline that came to me as I was writing the music, but the pieces are open to interpretation. 

Premiere: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Philip Hill, bassoon; Ben Sledge, piano. 

Short Character Pieces for string quartet (10ʹ)

A programmatic piece in three movements. The first movement is called “The Clown” and it illustrates the daily adventures of a clown, stumbling around and causing mayhem. The second movement is called “The Conversation” and resembles the chatter of a group of people (the clown included), arguing, tossing ideas back and forth, and trying to come to an agreement. The third movement is “The Storm,” which features an extreme range of dynamics to show the thunderous effects of a storm on the clown’s house, complete with raindrops knocking on the windows, leaves blowing in the air, and thunder shaking the whole house. The piece is still open to interpretation, as I myself had several different ideas about what the movements represent. I believe this piece greatly expresses my growth as both a composer, and a musician in general, over the course of two years of graduate study at ECU.

Premiere: Talea Ensemble readings, March 20, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Other performances: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Amelia Dietrich, violin; Florrie Marshall, violin; Benjamin Smith, viola; Emma Johnson, cello. 

Dance for domra and piano (3ʹ)

A short atonal piece for 4-string domra with piano accompaniment. 

Premiere: Post-Tonal Class Readings, April 28/30, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Adventures for solo flute (10ʹ)

Written in my third semester of graduate study at ECU. The piece is tonal in nature, and very highly influenced by the folk music of Eastern Europe. The various tempo changes within the piece were inspired by the Hungarian czárdás form of Kálmán's “The Gypsy Princess” Overture. The czárdás of the operetta opens slowly and then transitions to a rapid 2/4 dance movement. Other than serving as inspiration, the operetta itself is not used in any way in this piece for solo flute. The opening of “Adventures for solo flute” resembles the sound of distant panpipes, serving as a slow introduction to the faster dance-like sections of the piece. Featuring different characters, moods, and tempos, this piece allows the listener to pick-up on recurring ideas throughout.

Premiere: Premiere Performances Concert, October 22, 2013, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Mary Gheen, flute.

Other performances: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Mary Gheen, flute.

Queen of the Night or Don’t Restrain the Soprano electronic media (3ʹ)

Written in my second semester of graduate study. Those who are familiar with the famous “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute will have no trouble recognizing the underlying melody of this piece. “Queen of the Night or Don't Restrain the Soprano” features excerpts from the original aria that have been altered electronically and pieced together to create new phrases and musical ideas. Although there are some excerpts from other parts of the opera, the main alterations have been done to the soprano line in the aria.

Premiere: Premiere Performances Concert, April 9, 2013, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Other performances: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Dance in Bulgarian Rhythm for percussion ensemble (3ʹ)

A Bulgarian folk dance, called Buchimish, in 15/8, written in my second semester of graduate study and first performed by the percussion ensemble Talujon in the spring of 2013. The rhythm is subdivided into smaller groupings of beats 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, which the listener can easily pick out in the music. As with any folk dance, the music becomes progressively faster. I grew up listening to a variety of folk music, and participating in school dances. I continue to listen to Bulgarian folk music today, and the genre has become my inspiration for this and many other pieces.

Premiere: Talujon Percussion Ensemble readings, March 23, 2013, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Other performances: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Jonathan Fick, vibraphone; Daniel Crisp, marimba; Michael Norman, snare drum. 

Invention for piano (53ʹʹ)

A short 3-voice invention for piano inspired by the works of J. S. Bach. 

Ideas on a Theme for solo piano (4'30")

Written in the fall of 2012 during my first semester at ECU. It is my first attempt at moving away from my comfort zone and growing as a composer. It has helped me make the transition from undergraduate-level work to graduate-level composition. This piece contains a mix of tonal and post-tonal elements, and was composed by initially taking one musical idea and exploring ways to expand and alter it. During this process, other musical ideas developed, which were included as part of this piece. It is not written using a particular form, although listeners will hear the opening theme/material return at the end in a slightly altered rhythm.

Premiere: Premiere Performances Concert, April 9, 2013, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Kyle Walker, piano.

Other performances: Radina Dosseva in Graduate Student Recital, April 7, 2014, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Akeem I. Lipford, piano. 

Българско хоро for string quartet (2'40")

A short Bulgarian folk dance inspired by years of listening to the folk sounds of Eastern Europe.

Premiere: New Music by Students of Five Colleges, April 28, 2012, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA; Linda Laderach, violin; Joseph Jewett, violin; Anna Maria Amoroso, viola; Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello.

Waltz for solo piano (3'50")

A short waltz inspired by several pieces I had listened to at the time, including works by Chopin and some Japanese and Russian composers.

Premiere: New Music by Students of Five Colleges, April 28, 2012, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA; Radina Dosseva, piano.

Synth for guitar or zither (1ʹ)

A short work for guitar or zither with a melancholy melody and a fast-paced accompaniment. 

Racing Against Time for percussion ensemble (1'23")

This is a programmatic piece evoking a sense of racing, trying to catch up with time itself. It is written for snare drum, bass drum, gong, tambourine, chimes, glockenspiel, marimba, 2 vibraphones, and timpani.

Romance for orchestra (3'15")

This is an orchestration of a four-hand piano piece by Anton Arensky, Op. 53, No. 5. 

Variations for solo piano (2'50")

A short piece for solo piano, featuring theme and variations on a single idea. 

Sonatina for piano (1ʹ10ʹʹ)

A short, lively sonatina for piano in one movement. 

Eternal for piano (1ʹ15ʹʹ)

A short piece for solo piano, inspired by various virtuosic pieces by Chopin and Liszt, as well as the minimalist movement of Philip Glass and Steve Reich. The melody here morphs through the use of accents, so that the main beat is constantly displaced and shifts between the two hands.

Choral Composition for SATB choir and piano (53")

This choral work is set to several poems by Dr. Seuss and uses a pentatonic scale. The piano was originally meant to serve as accompaniment to the choir, but in the end became an important part of the melodic and harmonic intersection of the voices.