Verabei for solo guitar (2023)
Verabei for solo guitar (2023) was commissioned by guitarist Robert Phillips in 2023 as part of a series of dance-inspired solo guitar compositions. For this series, composers of different ethnic origins were invited to create compositions based on dance rhythms from their cultures. I chose to base this work on an ancient Belarusian fiddle dance tune called "Verabei" ("Sparrow"); in addition, I incorporated the melody of a lovely Belarusian folk song called "Oi I Grusha Maya" ("My Pear Tree"), which I found in а field recording captured during a 2018-19 ethnographic expedition to Krasnapolle, a settlement in the Chernobyl-affected zone of Southeastern Belarus. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my friend Andrei Bursau for his help with my research into Belarusian folk music.
Ka Ao, Ka Ao, Ka Awatea (The Dawning of the New Day) for solo guitar (2020)
It all begins with an idea.
