The Sounds of New England (2023)

September 2023 — Guilford Performing Art Festival, Guilford, CT

A six-movement work featuring collected sounds and melodies from low-income and under-resourced communities in the Northeast. The piece was performed live on the 2023 Guilford Performing Arts Festival Soundstage. Featuring solo violin, loop pedal, composed and improvised music interwoven with music and other sounds of the communities I visited. The idea was inspired by the work of Hungary’s Bela Bartok and Connecticut’s Charles Ives, whose discoveries and incorporation of folk and regional music into their compositions made them some of the most innovative and important composers of the early 20th century. My intent was to draw attention to, elevate and honor some of the poorest communities in the six states of New England, through music, collected sound and melodies, and improvisation.