dance or ballet

Symphonic suite

Castle Music (for Piano Four-hands, Percussion, Electronics and Pre-recorded Tape) was premiered at the Dartington Music Festival in South Devon, England in 1982, and also featured two dancers. The title refers to the 14th-century Dartingon Castle, which serves as the festival's concert hall. Since the premiere, numerous performances of Castle Music have been given and new music and dance festivals.

Excerpt: N. Melville & B. Bevelander, piano; Michael Udow, percussion

A multi-media chamber opera, employing both real and virtual sets, large-screen digital projections, recorded electronic music tracks, 8 principals, 8 dancers, a small chorus,(serving in several capacities,) 2 narrators.(recorded) and a chamber ensemble. There are 13 scenes within the 1 act, with 39 seperate "pieces". Creation of new projection visuals as well as sets and costumes would be part of mounting a new production of the work. The narrator parts provide the clues for the visuals and the sets. All other performance materials are available. The work can be performed by college opera-theatre groups. The most difficult parts are the role of the nightingale, and the piano part.

Based on the novel "Anpao-An American Indian Odyssey" by Jamake Highwater, this work was originally a theatre-dance work with narration, which was loosly adapted from the main elements of the story. It is scored for large chamber ensemble (triple quintet) with percussion. The piece may be performed either as a concert work or as a theatre-dance work, conceived, as it was, in terms of both musical structure and physical movement. The eight sections of the piece are all related melodically and harmonlically, and collectively form a whole. The work was performed originally by faculty musicians and student dancers. The music is often technically and rhythmically challenging, but could be performed by advanced college music majors.