Classically trained, modernly framed.
As a classically trained musician of over 10 years, Geoffrey took advantage of his time in university to study music composition. From writing percussion trios and small ensemble pieces to designing and directing full musical theater scores, Geoffrey has worked with groups of various shapes, sizes, and skill levels to deliver memorable experiences to his audience.
Click the image above to view the full score.
Akihabara (2018)
Organized chaos. Structured cacophony.
Akihabara was written as a reflection of my time studying abroad in Japan during the Summer of 2017. One of the more influential destinations during my time, Akihabara was a town full of lights and noise; it was an ocular and aural overload.
To reflect the white-noise, organized chaos of this location, the first and third movements are left to the discretion of the performers. A weaving path of conversation and commercial transcriptions, performers may work their way through the passages and their own pace, feeding off the energy of one another until they reach the second movement.
A more controlled section, the second movement is eclectic by design. The peaceful, swelling piano and violin is minimalist, allowing the listener a repreive from the first-movements erratic design. However, after being lulled into a false sense of security, the peace is broken by driven, rock-influenced percussion and wild glissandi from the violin.
In all, this sonic experience is how I felt walking through Japan’s “Electric Town” for the first time:
Wonderful yet powerful. Amazed yet overwhelmed.
Click the image above to view the full score.
CRUNCH (2017)
CRUNCH was an idea born out of interest in additive minimalism and single person songwriting. Highly influenced by the works of Julius Eastman, I wanted to create a piece in which the main idea would remain constant throughout the work, but was altered by multiple separate ideas being layered on top.
I believe this piece to be a very effective example in additive minimalism, and feel as though the performers have a relatively simple score despite having a variety of electronic pedals. In all, I loved being able to explore this different form of minimalism and shape it to fit my composition style.
This relationship with what is common or popular in the non-composer population versus the modernist compositional styles is very appealing to me, and I like the challenge of trying to relate these practices into music the general population could listen to and enjoy without prior background knowledge.