Woodwind - Shipped (printed) - Oboe

Compass Kaleidoscope was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Quintet (Penn State Faculty members) in celebration of their 30 Year Anniversary. It is based on a theme related to Pennsylvania: Amish quilts. Pennsylvania is noted for its longtime quilt making arts, a tradition started in the early 1800's by Amish and Mennonite women in Lancaster county. Each of the five movements of the quintet is inspired by a different traditional quilt pattern chosen by a member of the quintet. The musical materials were derived from the geometric shapes, color palette, arrangement of blocks, the name of the design and traditional folk melodies. Some of the compositional ideas were informed by the composer's synesthesia where particular pitches are associated with colors.

Autumn Winds for Oboe is meant to capture the many moods of the fall season. The unique feature of the piece, the quickly alternating tempo markings provide both a challenge for the player but also quickly take the listener through the range of emotions we experience as the leaves fall and the wind blows on a crisp Autumn day. For some, it can be exciting and invigorating as the air dries and the colors change in the trees around us. For others, fall brings more solemn feelings as the warm weather fades and we look ahead to the days of waning sunlight. Autumn winds should provide each audience member with their own personal memories of fall and the proper feelings they wish to experience while listening. Learn More

Composed for the Vientos Trio, this is a perfect piece for a college recital.  It is both fun for the players and audience pleasing.

For Oboe and Piano, "Bombur's Dream" is a three movement work that is a wonderful recital piece.

Program notes from the composer: 

For those who may need to brush up on their dwarf-lore, Bombur was one of thirteen dwarves featured in J. R. R. Tolkien’s book, The Hobbit. Along with the title character, Bilbo Baggins, and Gandalf the wizard, Bombur and the other dwarves set out on a long and dangerous quest to recover a vast treasure which had been stolen by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bombur stumbled into an enchanted river and promptly fell into a deep sleep from which he could not be awakened for several days. This meant that his friends had to carry him along with all their gear. (It should be noted that Bombur had what we might call a keen appreciation for fine cuisine; because of his resulting avoirdupois he was not an easy burden to bear.)

Eventually Bombur awoke but, according to Tolkien, when he learned that there was nothing to eat, he sat down on the ground and wept. “Why did I ever wake up?” he cried. “I was having the most beautiful dreams!”

The first movement of this piece has to do with Bombur’s lovely dreams and the second with his sorrow upon awakening. The third movement, “King Under the Mountain” is a cortège for the dwarves’ officious leader, Thorin Oakenshield. Bombur’s Dream is dedicated to the composer’s wife, the oboist Susan Joyce.