Sermon (2026)

Duration: 10’00”

Ensemble: Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano

Premiere: July 5, 2026, Carmel Valley, CA

Written For: Emerging Composers Intensive 2026

Program Note:

There is a particular type of American wrath that is uniquely theatrical. With Sermon, I wanted to explore the aesthetic of this performative bravado by applying the narrative conventions of contemporary classical music to the vernacular styles of American folk and bluegrass. Fusion musicians like Stuart Duncan and Mark O'Connor serve as initial character references for the many soloist spotlights (such as the violin cadenza which opens the piece) before this language is refracted through the technical and virtuosic worlds unlocked by the likes of Eugène Ysaÿe and Kaija Saariaho. As a unified force, the quartet navigates between percussive fury and soulful incantation, evocative of the emotional range captured in a true "fire and brimstone" sermon. In a synthesis of the solo and ensemble moments explored earlier, the piece closes with a fugue derived from the main theme.