Paul Klee : Painted Songs Consortium Project
Paul Klee : Painted Songs is an ongoing collection of interdisciplinary chamber works inspired by the visual art of Paul Klee. Many of the 165 planned works are still in development. By joining a consortium as a musician or contributing towards the project, your support will bring it closer to completion and reach new audiences.
The current focus of this consortium project are a new suite for band and several works for solo instruments called "Portraits, Scenes, and Symbols."
To join a consortium listed below as a conductor or performer, please contact me directly so that we can start the conversation!
To support a consortium project, or the Paul Klee : Painted Songs series in general, use the "donate" button below and choose which project you'd like to support!
The current focus of this consortium project are a new suite for band and several works for solo instruments called "Portraits, Scenes, and Symbols."
To join a consortium listed below as a conductor or performer, please contact me directly so that we can start the conversation!
To support a consortium project, or the Paul Klee : Painted Songs series in general, use the "donate" button below and choose which project you'd like to support!
Thank you!
SUITE for BAND CONSORTIUM PROJECT
Inspired by Gustav Holst's famous suites for military band ("Suite in E♭" and "Suite in F"), this new suite for wind ensemble will use a similar instrumentation across five movements inspired by five paintings by 20th century Swiss painter Paul Klee as part of an ongoing series called Paul Klee : Painted Songs.
Difficulty: Grade 4 ½ (Medium)
Duration: 12 minutes (2 – 3 minutes per movement)
Instrumentation: Picc, Fl 1.2, Ob, Cl 1.2.3, BsCl, Bsn, ASax 1.2, TSax, BSax
Tpt 1.2.3.4, Hn 1.2.3.4, Tbn 1.2.3, Euph, Tba, Perc (Timp + 4)
Each movement is inspired by a different (but related) painting by Paul Klee that expresses abstract ideas related to growth. Each movement will focus on a different musical form (e.g. chaconne, march, nocturne, and fugue) and musical ideas will appear in multiple movements, linking the paintings thematically through variation and development. For example, the two marches will use themes that are inversions of each other!
Growth of Plants (Chaconne)
Ripening Growth (Ein Marsch - Part I)
Growth of the Night Plants (Nocturne)
Hanging Fruit (Circus March "Screamer" - Part II)
Fugue in Red (Fugue)
All of the thematic material developed in the suite comes together in Fugue in Red, which will be an orchestration and adaptation of an earlier work for trumpet quartet. This suite commemorates the 100th anniversary of these paintings which were all completed in 1921 or 1922.
Difficulty: Grade 4 ½ (Medium)
Duration: 12 minutes (2 – 3 minutes per movement)
Instrumentation: Picc, Fl 1.2, Ob, Cl 1.2.3, BsCl, Bsn, ASax 1.2, TSax, BSax
Tpt 1.2.3.4, Hn 1.2.3.4, Tbn 1.2.3, Euph, Tba, Perc (Timp + 4)
Each movement is inspired by a different (but related) painting by Paul Klee that expresses abstract ideas related to growth. Each movement will focus on a different musical form (e.g. chaconne, march, nocturne, and fugue) and musical ideas will appear in multiple movements, linking the paintings thematically through variation and development. For example, the two marches will use themes that are inversions of each other!
Growth of Plants (Chaconne)
Ripening Growth (Ein Marsch - Part I)
Growth of the Night Plants (Nocturne)
Hanging Fruit (Circus March "Screamer" - Part II)
Fugue in Red (Fugue)
All of the thematic material developed in the suite comes together in Fugue in Red, which will be an orchestration and adaptation of an earlier work for trumpet quartet. This suite commemorates the 100th anniversary of these paintings which were all completed in 1921 or 1922.
Consortium Timeline and Details:
January 1, 2022 – Consortium opens
July 1, 2022 – Deadline for deposits
September 15, 2022 – Draft score and parts available for member feedback or workshops
November 1, 2022 – Final score and parts available for performance in Spring 2023
All members at or above the $150 buy-in level will receive the following benefits:
• Name of institution, ensemble, and/or conductor listed in score and program notes
• Print-at-home PDFs of score and parts (hard copies available for an additional fee)
• A virtual group meeting with consortium members in November 2022
• A single virtual one-on-one rehearsal/workshop with your ensemble in Spring 2023
• Composer introduction video to use for performances or curriculum development
All members at or above the $250 buy-in level will receive these additional benefits:
• Draft PDFs of score and parts in September 2022 for review or to workshop with ensemble
• Additional access to creative process in Summer and Fall 2022 as the work is developed
• Multiple virtual, or possible in-person, rehearsals and workshops in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023
• Additional curriculum materials exploring Paul Klee, his paintings and their relationship to music
The first 5 members to join at or above the $250 level will have one of the individual movements dedicated to their institution or ensemble!
July 1, 2022 – Deadline for deposits
September 15, 2022 – Draft score and parts available for member feedback or workshops
November 1, 2022 – Final score and parts available for performance in Spring 2023
All members at or above the $150 buy-in level will receive the following benefits:
• Name of institution, ensemble, and/or conductor listed in score and program notes
• Print-at-home PDFs of score and parts (hard copies available for an additional fee)
• A virtual group meeting with consortium members in November 2022
• A single virtual one-on-one rehearsal/workshop with your ensemble in Spring 2023
• Composer introduction video to use for performances or curriculum development
All members at or above the $250 buy-in level will receive these additional benefits:
• Draft PDFs of score and parts in September 2022 for review or to workshop with ensemble
• Additional access to creative process in Summer and Fall 2022 as the work is developed
• Multiple virtual, or possible in-person, rehearsals and workshops in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023
• Additional curriculum materials exploring Paul Klee, his paintings and their relationship to music
The first 5 members to join at or above the $250 level will have one of the individual movements dedicated to their institution or ensemble!
| suite_for_band_from_paul_klee_-_band_consortium.pdf |
PORTRAIT, SCENE, and SYMBOL CONSORTIUM PROJECTS
The consortium fee is $100 minimum per member and a project will be considered fully funded when $500 or more has been contributed by its members or interested donors. Generally, a project will be a combination of 3 - 5 performers and a few interested donors. Consortium members and any donors will be credited in the score and individual movements can be dedicated by request. Consortium members will have the opportunity to collaboratively shape the direction of the piece and then will organize a premiere of the work or an excerpted movement within one year of the consortium deadline.
To join a consortium listed below as a performer, please contact me directly so that we can start the conversation!
To join a consortium listed below as a performer, please contact me directly so that we can start the conversation!
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XVII for Contrabass
Join by October 20, 2021
Premiere after January 1, 2022
Current Members: TBA
No. 122 - Black Prince (Schwarzer Furst, 1927)
No. 99 - Ships in the Dark (Schiffe im Dunkeln, 1927)
No. 100 - But the Red Roof (Aber das rote Dach, 1935)
Premiere after January 1, 2022
Current Members: TBA
No. 122 - Black Prince (Schwarzer Furst, 1927)
No. 99 - Ships in the Dark (Schiffe im Dunkeln, 1927)
No. 100 - But the Red Roof (Aber das rote Dach, 1935)
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol I for Voice
Join by November 15, 2021
Premiere after February 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Premiere after February 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol for Harp
Join by December 15, 2021
Premiere after March 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Premiere after March 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol VII for Horn
Join by January 15, 2022
Premiere after April 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Premiere after April 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XV for Viola
Join by February 15, 2022
Premiere after May 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Premiere after May 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol X for Trombone
Join by March 15, 2022
Premiere after June 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
Premiere after June 1, 2022
More details to be announced!
IN-PROGRESS CONSORTIUM PROJECTS
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol IX for Trumpet
Join by September 15, 2021
Premiere after December 1, 2021
Current Members: Evan Fowler / Garrett Fuller / Connor Johnson / Theresa May / Isaac Mayhew
A "concerto" for trumpet and pre-recorded electronics featuring excerpts from my orchestral work Fili di Perle.
No. 128 - Black Herald (Schwarzer Herold, 1924)
A multimovement interlude featuring pre-recorded and spatialized electronics on multiple types of trumpets
No. 80 - Contemplation at Breakfast (Betrachtung beim Frühstück, 1925)
A comical interjection, completed and released as part of Isaac Mayhew's Walking Songs project.
No. 81 - Commemorative Sheet E (Gedenkblatt E, 1924)
Introduction and conclusion of the work using layers of improvised material, pre-recorded or live processed.
Premiere after December 1, 2021
Current Members: Evan Fowler / Garrett Fuller / Connor Johnson / Theresa May / Isaac Mayhew
A "concerto" for trumpet and pre-recorded electronics featuring excerpts from my orchestral work Fili di Perle.
No. 128 - Black Herald (Schwarzer Herold, 1924)
A multimovement interlude featuring pre-recorded and spatialized electronics on multiple types of trumpets
No. 80 - Contemplation at Breakfast (Betrachtung beim Frühstück, 1925)
A comical interjection, completed and released as part of Isaac Mayhew's Walking Songs project.
No. 81 - Commemorative Sheet E (Gedenkblatt E, 1924)
Introduction and conclusion of the work using layers of improvised material, pre-recorded or live processed.
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol V for Bassoon
Join by August 1, 2021
Premiere after November 1, 2021
No. 118 - Portrait of a Yellow Man (Bildnis eines Gelben, 1921)
Focusing on the relationship between air/noise/pitch by introducing a Baroque or Classical excerpt, then slowly erasing it as it devolves into breathy noise.
No. 69 - Modest Home (Bescheidene Heimat, 1928)
"Dark and fragile," exploring footstep sounds, tongue "flaps" and dry articulation mixed in with lush multiphonic chords.
No. 70 - Red Waistcoat (Rote Weste, 1938)
Oscillating between bright, sunny, and cheerful gestures with more menacing and aggressive moments involving some improvisation.
Current Members: Edin Agamenoni / Erika Andersen / Ariel Detwiler / Ben Roidl-Ward / Midori Samson / Aaron Wong
Premiere after November 1, 2021
No. 118 - Portrait of a Yellow Man (Bildnis eines Gelben, 1921)
Focusing on the relationship between air/noise/pitch by introducing a Baroque or Classical excerpt, then slowly erasing it as it devolves into breathy noise.
No. 69 - Modest Home (Bescheidene Heimat, 1928)
"Dark and fragile," exploring footstep sounds, tongue "flaps" and dry articulation mixed in with lush multiphonic chords.
No. 70 - Red Waistcoat (Rote Weste, 1938)
Oscillating between bright, sunny, and cheerful gestures with more menacing and aggressive moments involving some improvisation.
Current Members: Edin Agamenoni / Erika Andersen / Ariel Detwiler / Ben Roidl-Ward / Midori Samson / Aaron Wong
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol II for Flute
Completed January 2020 for Yoshi Weinberg and Sean Gabriel
Partially premiered in January 2020
Partially premiered in January 2020
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol III for Oboe
Completed Summer 2020 and Spring 2021 for Susan Miranda
Partially premiered in April 2021
Partially premiered in April 2021
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol IV for Clarinet
Partially completed
Partially premiered in Fall 2019, additional premieres TBD
Partially premiered in Fall 2019, additional premieres TBD
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XI for Tuba
Partially completed
Partially premiered in April 2021, additional premieres TBD
Partially premiered in April 2021, additional premieres TBD
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XVI for Violoncello
Completed April 2021
Partially premiered in Summer 2021
Partially premiered in Summer 2021
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XIX for Organ
Completed January 2020 for Shannon Murphy
Partially premiered in October 2020
Partially premiered in October 2020
COMPLETED CONSORTIUM PROJECTS
Portrait, Scene, and Symbol XII for Marimba
Completed for and premiered by Eri Isomura in October 2019 and October 2020.