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, the kind of intimidation display that is seemingly divinely mandated. Drawing from the colors of American folk and bluegrass, this piece places the ensemble at the pulpit of a “fire and brimstone” sermon, a position of ordained authority from which they can exercise the full extent of their righteous fury.

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Sources of Inspiration

Classical / Fusion:

  • Babadjanian: Piano Trio; Violin Sonata

  • Saariaho: Nocturne for Solo Violin; Sept Papillons

  • John Williams: 3 Pieces for Solo Cello - I. Rosewood

  • Fazil Say: Cello Sonata - II. Hopa

  • Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: Blue/s Forms; Lamentations

  • Mari Kimura: Gemini for Solo Violin

  • Marc Bouchkov: Fantasie for Solo Violin

  • Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin

  • Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 - IV. Sarabande

Non-Classical:

  • Michael Cleveland: With a Vamp in the Middle; Lee Highway Blues

  • Old Regular Baptist Lined-out Hymnody (Various)