DigitalCommons@Linfield

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  When Justice Reigns

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer and Janine Applegate

  When Justice Reigns for Mixed Choir with Divisi (2016) was commissioned by the Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield College for the Linfield College Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Anna Song, who premiered the work on Sunday, October 23, 2016 in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium (McMinnville, Oregon).

  Linfield College alumna Janine Applegate wrote her poem, When Justice Reigns, for this project on the theme of social justice. In it, she highlights our commonality and interconnectedness with others, while also mourning how hatred unravels the cloth of our society. To support these ideas musically, the song begins with a simple, unified texture, reminiscent of older hymns and protest songs. The stark middle section is built upon chanted pitches in the tenor and bass voices, while the unsettling upper voices mourn the lack of peace. During this section, the performers may highlight social justice issues that are especially important to them.

  I am grateful for additional artistic support from: Faun Tiedge, the student performers in the Linfield College Concert Choir, and Brian and Kaisa Amer.

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  The Thaw

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer and Artis Henderson

  The Thaw for Soprano, Tenor, Mixed Choir and Wind Ensemble (2016) was commissioned by Rodney Dorsey for the University of Oregon Wind Ensemble and University Singers who premiered the piece on May 28, 2016 in the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (Eugene, Oregon). The work is dedicated to the memory of University of Oregon mentors Anne Dhu McLucas, Lawrence Maves, Steven Larsen, and Charles Dowd.

  I was drawn to the vivid detail and sensuality of Artis Henderson’s writing style, especially her honest portrayal of emotional pain and healing. Her poem, The Thaw, was written for this project; it draws upon imagery from Oregon’s rich, natural beauty to explore themes of love, loss and healing. The form of the musical work follows the text from a stunned and frozen stasis through the warming of spring.

  I am grateful for artistic support from Rodney Dorsey, Artis Henderson, Sharon Paul, and Brian and Kaisa Amer.

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  Wrought Iron

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Wrought Iron (2012) for Flute and Percussion was commissioned by the Albany (NY) Symphony Orchestra as part of the Capital Region Heritage Commissions project. This piece is a musical celebration of the beautiful metal work that crowns the iconic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The shapes found within the iron work—circles, triangles, and rectangles—dictated the shape of the percussion instruments used—cymbals, tambourine, bongos, triangle, and vibraphone. The music reflects the light, airy, and beautifully ornate quality of the metal castings.

  While composing this piece, I was also drawn to another fascinating aspect of this building: architect George B. Post used metal to look like stone. In his attempt to make a European-looking building (on an American budget), he fashioned a metallic exoskeleton that houses a truly unique acoustic space. In this vein, I have worked elements from pieces by two of the composers whose names grace the ceiling of the hall: Ludwig van Beethoven and Frederick Chopin; in this way, I am honoring the work of artists who came before me, but with a twenty-first century American twist. Like the cast aluminum used in the 1990s renovation to replace the original iron, and the woodwind made of metal, things are not always what they seem.

  Many thanks to Melanie Sorenson and Brian Amer for their artistic support.

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  Dos Danzas

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Dos Danzas (2010) for Concert Band was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Miller Asbill and the Texas Tech University Concert Band who premiered the work on April 25, 2010 at Hemmle Recital Hall, Lubbock, Texas. As if emerging from a fog, the first movement, Tangential Tango, is a sultry bitonal dance utilizing long melodic lines against a pulsing tango rhythm. The two keys are attracted to one another, yet gently push apart like magnets of the same polarity. The second movement, Gallo Fino, translates from Spanish as “fine rooster”; in the colloquial, however, it also refers to an overly confident, finely dressed man. The uneven time signature supports the imagery of a strutting rooster preened to impress. Many thanks to Miller Asbill, the music students at Texas Tech University, and Brian Amer for their artistic support.

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  Wild Silk

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Wild Silk (2009) for Baritone Saxophone, Percussion and Piano was commissioned by Jeffrey Heisler for the Primary Colors Trio, who premiered the work during the thirtieth annual Bowling Green State University New Music Festival at Bryan Recital Hall, Bowling Green, Ohio on October 24, 2009.

  While composing this work, I found inspiration in the strikingly beautiful and elusive Luna Moth. The form of this piece loosely follows the three stages of its life cycle from egg to caterpillar, pupa, and adult moth. Apart from the constant threat of predators, the violence at each stage surprised me. As the caterpillar grows, it must break through its own skin five times. The pupa wriggles from within the cocoon during metamorphosis. The adult moth is deprived of a mouth, meaning there is an evolutionary preference for beautiful wings to attract a mate over personal survival. Without a way to nourish itself, the hours and days following eclosion are focused on the crazed goal of propagation. Perhaps it is a metaphor for the artist, who must completely renew and reinvent themselves over and again.

  Many thanks to Jeffrey Heisler, Isabelle Huang, I-Chen Yeh, and Brian Amer for their artistic support. Duration, ca. 10:00.

  Wild Silk was recognized with an Honorable Mention for the Theodore Front Prize from the International Alliance of Women in Music's 2011 Search for New Music.

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  Half Moon Nocturne

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Half Moon Nocturne (2007) for chamber ensemble was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, H. Robert Reynolds and the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. The first performance, conducted by Miller Asbill, was given by the ensemble on October 21, 2007.

  Half Moon Nocturne is a sonic exploration of the beautiful Pinckney Recreation Area in Southeast Michigan. I have enjoyed numerous hikes with my husband around the Half Moon and Silver Lakes, yet I am continually amazed by the unique beauty and subtle transformation of familiar objects with the change of season. Winter’s stark, dry lines draw a nice contrast with summer’s lush palette of varying greens amidst hot, humid swamps and the din of toads.

  While this is my first piece about Michigan's natural beauty, it follows in a long line of pieces inspired by nature. Half Moon Nocturne combines disparate musical elements to create an aural synthesis of visual and emotional cues drawn from my experiences there. Duration ca. 9:45.

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  Lured by the Horizon

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Lured by the Horizon (2005) for orchestra is in five movements or “snapshots” of the Pacific Northwest. It was premiered by The University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nikolas Caoile on March 14, 2006 at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

  I. Growth examines the adaptability, hopeful nature, and adventurous spirit of the people who lived in the region during the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. Since the 1840s and into the present, people have moved west with the hope of building a better life. This led to boomtowns throughout the region during the gold rush period (1848-56) and logging camps during the Depression-era (1929-41).

  II. Rust is based on a set of photographs taken by the composer in 2004 that examine the contrast between the rich natural beauty of the region with evidence of the dire economic depression that follows the collapse of an exploitative industry.

  III. Currents considers the Columbia River Basin that extends from Oregon to Canada, and from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho; it provides food, commerce, hydroelectric power, and recreational entertainment for the region. The river’s magnificent beauty and surprisingly treacherous undercurrents inspire two musical motives which guide the listener through the movement.

  IV. Cut focuses on the dual nature of the logging industry as both an employer of thousands of people and the catalyst for severe environmental changes in the region. This drama is underscored by juxtaposing a dissonant harmonic language with stark woodwind interjections and string pizzicati.

  V. Return is inspired by my emotional reactions to photographs that I took in 2004 of abandoned barns being re-absorbed by nature. Framed in a tonal harmonic musical language, I combine musical materials from the previous four movements to evoke how the end of one entity can foster and enrich that which follows.

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  Through Leaves

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  Through Leaves (2004) for percussion and digital playback was commissioned by and is dedicated to percussionist Jay Bordeleau who premiered the work on February 13, 2004 at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Through Leaves draws inspiration from nature for the formal and aural elements used in this piece. As in a tree, whose large-scale structures (trunk separating into branches and roots) are mimicked on the small-scale (petiole separating into veins and capillaries), simple melodic and rhythmic materials build into larger phrases. The dynamic range of percussion and electronic sounds further underscore the unfolding of this drama. The tape was realized in the composer's home studio and at the University of Michigan Electronic Music Studios. The electronics feature percussionist Jay Bordeleau in addition to field recordings made by the composer. Many thanks to the following for their artistic support: Jay Bordeleau, Evan Chambers, and Greg Laman who wrote the Max patch for live processing.

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  #@&%!* (expletive deleted)

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer

  #@&%!* (expletive deleted) for Percussion Quartet was premiered in Ann Arbor, Michigan in December 2000. This dynamic piece exhibits a heightened state of frenetic energy through explosive outbursts and a bubbling undercurrent of churning rhythmic figures. It explores disparate musical influences like popular and world music, while highlighting the flexibility and virtuosity of the percussion ensemble. The title reflects the demanding physicality of the individual parts and the tricky ensemble work. In fact, I was once told the expletive should have been inserted!

  Many thanks to Evan Chambers, Kristin Kuster, Roland Vazquez, Miller Asbill, Jay Bordeleau, Carrie Magin, Jason Markzon, and André Dowell for their artistic support.

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  Four Poems for Robin

  Andrea L. Reinkemeyer and Gary Snyder

  Four Poems for Robin (1999, revised 2006) for Soprano and Viola was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, soprano Kathryn Hallor who premiered the work with violist Franklin Alvarez on 1 May, 1999 in Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon School of Music and Dance (Eugene, Oregon).

  Gary Snyder's beautiful poems, chosen by Ms. Hallor, weave together memory, lore and landscape; they are full of musings about young love lost, but they also explore how distance — physical, temporal and emotional — can distort our perception of an earlier time. As the poems progress, the language hardens, eventually leading to a realization that despite his efforts, he cannot regain the past. These pieces were written during a point of transition in my own life that was full of regret, natsugashi, and excitement about beginning anew.

  Four Poems for Robin by Gary Snyder, from BACK COUNTRY, copyright © 1968 by Gary Snyder. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation.

  1. Siwashing it out once in Siuslaw Forest
  2. A spring night in Shokoku-ji
  3. An autumn morning in Shokoku-ji
  4. December at Yase