Subterranean Dance
for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, marimba, and vibraphone

Subterranean Dance is a 7 minute journey for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, marimba and vibraphone. It traces an arc from a place of high velocity and loudness to a slower, softer, and reflective atmosphere. An explosion of rapid pulses opens the piece in a kaleidoscope of colors. The high energy eventually subsides to a quieter contrapuntal nocturne, first lyrical, and then mysterious (i.e. 'subterranean'). Momentum picks up and the music returns to its initial fast tempo. Yet this second fast section also exhausts itself, dying away to a sad, eerie slow dance and eventually a skeletal violin solo. Defying the tendency for a 'big finish," the lyrical nocturne returns to complete the piece, this time adorned in a hazy halo of ornaments that waft the music to a higher plane.

This piece has been warmly received in performances around the United States, including the HEARNOW Festival in Los Angeles, the Minnesota Symphony Chamber concerts, the Aspen New Music Festival in Colorado, and the June In Buffalo Festival in New York.