Event Title
how sweet the thought of you as infinite, for marimba and electronics, by Emma O'Halloran
Performer / Ensemble
Justin Bunting (Marimba)
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Concert
Abstract / Program Notes
"how sweet the thought of you as infinite" (2019) by Emma O'Halloran (b. 1985) is a work for solo marimba and electronics. The electronics are generated with a Max patch and the piece is built around a detuned delay, which becomes more prominent over time. About her piece, the composer writes, "This year has been one of incredible change. At points in my life where everything seems in flux, I find myself trying to freeze moments in time so I don't lose them. This piece is about the longing we have for certain moments to last forever. In a way, it's a love letter to the special people in our lives." Emma O'Halloran is an Irish composer and vocalist. Her music aims to capture the human experience, exploring complex emotions felt in specific moments in time. She has been praised by "I Care If You Listen" editor-in-chief Amanda Cook for writing "some of the most unencumbered, authentic, and joyful music that I have heard in recent years," and has won numerous competitions, including National Sawdust's inaugural Hildegard competition and the Next Generation award from Beth Morrison Projects. This piece was commissioned by a consortium led by Dr. Adam Groh.
Biography
Dr. Justin Bunting (b. 1986) has an active career as an international percussion educator, solo performer, chamber player, orchestral musician, clinician, and composer. His appearances include the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the Great American Brass Band Festival. He is currently Assistant Professor of Percussion at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. As an orchestral musician, Justin has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Salisbury Symphony. He currently performs with his wife, Cassie, as Blue Line Duo. Among their performance and presentation venues are the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Colombia Day of Percussion in Armenia, Colombia, Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Conference, and the Greensboro Fringe Festival. Dr. Bunting’s book, Studies in Rosewood, is available from C. Alan Publications. Three other works, the world/multiple percussion solo Across the Floor, an arrangement of the Dave Matthews Band song "#41" for solo vibraphone, and a world percussion duet titled Fusão Árabe are published by Bachovich Music Publications. He has been a part of commissioning, premiering, or composing more than twenty works for percussion from composers including Ivan Trevino, Evan Chapman, and Emma O’Halloran. Justin earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Theory from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from Belmont University and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from The Ohio State University.
Keywords
Solo marimba, electronics
Description
10-minute showcase performance
how sweet the thought of you as infinite, for marimba and electronics, by Emma O'Halloran
"how sweet the thought of you as infinite" (2019) by Emma O'Halloran (b. 1985) is a work for solo marimba and electronics. The electronics are generated with a Max patch and the piece is built around a detuned delay, which becomes more prominent over time. About her piece, the composer writes, "This year has been one of incredible change. At points in my life where everything seems in flux, I find myself trying to freeze moments in time so I don't lose them. This piece is about the longing we have for certain moments to last forever. In a way, it's a love letter to the special people in our lives." Emma O'Halloran is an Irish composer and vocalist. Her music aims to capture the human experience, exploring complex emotions felt in specific moments in time. She has been praised by "I Care If You Listen" editor-in-chief Amanda Cook for writing "some of the most unencumbered, authentic, and joyful music that I have heard in recent years," and has won numerous competitions, including National Sawdust's inaugural Hildegard competition and the Next Generation award from Beth Morrison Projects. This piece was commissioned by a consortium led by Dr. Adam Groh.