New Oceans for plucked string orchestra (2023)

New Oceans for plucked string orchestra was commissioned by Bundesjugendzupforchester, the premier youth plucked string orchestra of Germany.  The piece was composed in April and May of 2023.  The title of this work was inspired by the recent discovery of a new ocean forming in Africa, which in 5-10 million years will change the Earth's arrangement of oceans and continents.  I thought of the idea of slow yet constant change eventually leading to big transformations. Musically, elements of minimalism were a natural fit to express this concept.  The ebb and flow of currents both deep and shallow found its reflection in the layering of orchestral parts and the ever-changing texture of the work.  This piece is scheduled to be premiered on July 28, 2023 in Dresden, Germany.

One of the main musical features of this composition is the interaction of different metric groupings, which sometimes conflict with the prevailing meter.  Beaming indicates desired metric accents, regardless of the overall meter of each section.  The eighth note should be considered constant when changing meters.

I encourage the conductor and the ensemble to experiment with creating impromptu dynamic swells within accompaniment/textural parts, and to vary them from performance to performance.

 Instrumentation:

• Mandolin 1

• Mandolin 2

• Mandola

• Guitar 1

• Guitar 2

• Double Bass

All parts are occasionally divisi except Guitar 2.

Approx. duration: 6 minutes

 Extended techniques for the mandolin are explained in the score and each part.  In addition, I have recorded short videos to demonstrate each technique: