Showcase II | May 24-25, 2025 SOLI's 30x30x30 project

Schedule | Saturday May 24

Workshops

2:00 | Saghat (2023) | Adeliia Faizullina | violin, cello, piano | SOLI Chamber Ensemble | sponsored by Sheila Swartzman, Carol Lee Klose and Carolyn A. Seale

2:40 | VOX Arietta (Closing) (2024) | Elizabeth Gartman | violin and piano | SOLI Chamber Ensemble | sponsored by Carol Lee Klose and Carolyn A. Seale

3:20 | everywhere all soaring (2024) | Conner Simmons | voice, electronics, instruments | Christopher Briggs Rodriguez, Damian Rodriguez, and Conner Simmons | sponsored by Luz Moreno and Ákos Szabó

4:00 | Through Your Eyes, Movement I (2021) | Alexa Canales | violin, cello, piano | SOLI Chamber Ensemble | sponsored by Jay and Jacque Forrest

Performance

5:00 | Performance of above works

6:00 | Reception and Presentations

Musicians

SOLI Chamber Ensemble | Ertan Torgul, violin | David Mollenauer, cello | Carolyn True, piano

with guest artists Christopher Briggs Rodriguez, baritone | Damian Rodriguez, double bass | Conner Simmons, live electronics

Schedule | Sunday May 25

Workshops

2:00 | Cloud Burst (2019) | Leah Reid | violin, cello, electronics, piano, | sponsored by Jeri Oishi

2:40 | Fallen Angel (2024) | Niccolo Seligmann | voice, clarinet, violin, cello | sponsored by Robert Brown and Dennis Karbach

Click here for text to Fallen Angel

3:20 | Stretch Marks (2021) | Lucy Shirley | voice, clarinet, piano | sponsored by Angela Pfeiffer

Click here for text to Stretch Marks

4:00 | Storks (2021) | Morgan Kelly Moss | violin, cello, piano | sponsored by John and Kim O'Brien

Performance

5:00 | Performance of above works

6:00 | Reception and Presentations

Musicians

SOLI Chamber Ensemble | Ertan Torgul, violin | David Mollenauer, cello | Carolyn True, piano

with guest artists Lydia Beasley, soprano | Joseph Kneer, violin | Tyler Guzmán, clarinet | Yoo-Jung Chang, cello | Jeong-Eun Lee, piano

Adeliia Faizullina

“Recorded in Louisville, Kentucky by Longleash Ensemble for the 2023 Loretto Project, “Saghat” in Tatar language can mean time, a clock, an hour or a moment. The piece is dedicated to the renowned composer Kaija Saariaho after hearing about her recent passing. This is the first piece I wrote after I was diagnosed with colon cancer and since then have been thinking a lot about time, and appreciating every moment if it. I wrote this piece based off a recording of a piano improvisation I had done – the piece is a respectful nod to the inspiration that came to me in that exact moment in time.”

Elizabeth Gartman

VOX is the result of a multi-year collaboration between composer Elizabeth Gartman and New Chamber Ballet, under direction of choreographer Miro Magloire. The ballet was inspired by aspects of the vocal mechanism - respiration, vibration, phonation - as well as the vocal music of Richard Strauss and each dancers' relationship to their own voice. It is a testament to the love of singing, and using one’s voice to its full capacity, whatever that may look like. “Opening” from VOX was initially composed to open the ballet, but, just before its world premiere in February 2024, it was decided that “Opening” would close the 45-minute work.

Conner Simmons

“It soared, a bird, it held its flight, a swift pure cry, soar silver orb it leaped serene, speeding, sustained, to come, don’t spin it out too long long breath he breath long life, soaring high, high resplendent, aflame, crowned, high in the effulgence symbolistic, high, of the ethereal bosom, high, of the high vast irradiation everywhere all soaring all around about the all, the endlessnessnessness…” – James Joyce

“The work takes inspiration from this quote, using minuscule fragments of text and dismantling, reassembling and stretching them out to create a tapestry that would become the work’s formal basis. Notationally, the work is left intentionally open, allowing performers to react to the sonic environment the work suggests in a way that is both natural and personal.“

Alexa Canales

"Through Your Eyes’ is a very personal work with deep emotional meaning to me. Several years ago I went through a period of time where I was not writing much music. Then in early 2020, I had a realization — I decided to let go of whatever pressures I felt regarding my music-making and just write something that felt true and real to me. The result was this piece — a work that I feel is representative of who I am as a composer. This movement in particular was significant in helping me reconnect with my understanding and commitment to what I want to express in my music."

Leah Reid

"A cloud burst is a sudden, very heavy rainfall, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. The piece, for amplified piano trio and electronics, is an aphoristic composition that leads the listener into the storm, exploring sounds, gestures, textures, and timbres associated with water and rain. The pitched materials were derived from spectral analyses of water droplets bouncing off of various surfaces."

Niccolo Seligmann

“This piece for voice, clarinet, violin, and cello, is set in a post-apocalyptic island, where the narrator and his angel lover make a life for themselves amongst the trash that washes up on shore. I submit this work to counter “doomer” narratives of climate change: in the world of this piece, queer love flourishes despite a hostile seascape. Life during climate change must still include moments of queer joy and togetherness. We need a realistic outlook, but we also need hope, which this piece aims to provide.“

Lucy Shirley

“Stretch marks are part of life. They happen when a person’s body expands rapidly, whether from puberty, weight gain, or pregnancy. There has recently been an increase in the body positivity movement on social media, and while this is a good thing, I sometimes find myself falling into a dishonest trap of toxic, inauthentic self-love.

This piece uses intimate timbres to draw the audience into the singer’s journey over their body. The stretch marks are a part of the music, weaving melodic lines that expand and contract, rippling across the temporal “body” of the piece. Working to love flaws is good, but gaslighting oneself into believing feelings of inadequacy don’t exist is dangerous. Sometimes I cry, and that isn’t a moral failing.“

Morgan Kelly Moss

“Storks Piano Trio is a nostalgic work based on a series of paintings by my grandmother (affectionately known as “Mimi”). I have always enjoyed combining different types of art to create an overarching experience for the listener. Storks was created in reaction to her paintings (in score), and both the auditory and visual art can be presented together to create a new listening experience.

I am presenting this work specifically because it provides an opportunity for intersectionality between different kinds of art, which is something I am personally very passionate about. I am also presenting this work because it’s life as a piece of music was significantly stunted due to Covid-19 aftermath, and I want to give it the life it deserves!“