There is a moment in my orchestra work Fili di Perle that always brings me a sense of villainous joy!

Towards the end there are several culminating moments with these superchords, arpeggios, aleatoric passages, and a four chord progression played fortissimo by the brass section in measure 231.

​If ever there was music that could stand in for my alter-ego/super-villain and his maniacal laughter -- this is it!

When originally scoring this, I was concerned with superimposing the other motivic ideas used throughout the piece. (These ideas actually come from an earlier work The God of Material Things and were used as a launchpad for the new orchestral work!)

I never gave much thought to how you could "label" these triads, because honestly, I don't analyze my music that deeply when composing. Usually, I sketch out ideas, explore them, stretch them into new territory, and then analyze why I chose those paths much later. Also, I'm less concerned with the theoretical "function" of a chord and more about its sound and what other chords can be used before and after. (Yes, I consider voice leading, root progression, set theory, and all the other tools I've learned, but I'm not really a theorist -- I'm an artist, and in reality I let my ears lead first and then let my brain analyze why my ears chose those sounds!)

There are a lot of interesting ways to analyze this section. For example, you could note that the root progressions (Eb, A, F#, Eb) are all tri-tone and sixth relationships and that the top notes (Bb, G, C#, Bb) are also, with the result being intervallic mirroring! Or, I could point to the existing motifs and how they are all superimposed throughout the entire work and culminate in this moment! But, we are hear to talk about these four chords and their "labels" (wouldn't want my villainous monologue to get the best of me!)

And those four chords are (roughly) Eb(#9), F+9/A, F#m(maj7), and F#o7 with extensions b9, 11, b15, 17.

Here are the original four chords, as scored for brass with some doubling.

Now, that first chord is an Eb with both a major 3rd and a minor 3rd, so we can call that minor 3rd a #9,
​making it an Eb(#9) chord

That second chord is essentially a fivenote version of a whole tone scale, but because of how it is voiced, we can say
it is F+9/A. You might argue that it is an A+7 with a #13, but does it really matter with whole tone collections ... no ...

The third chord is straight-forward, an F#m with a maj7.

And then we reach that fourth chord -- that beast -- whose pitch set is a type of blues scale; not really the hexatonic (C Eb F F# G Bb) or the nonatonic (C D Eb E F G A Bb B), but somewhere in between. Now, when I tried to find the prime form of this set, it said it is 8-z29 or 0 1 2 3 5 6 7 9, but I can't for the life of me make that work with the original set of pitches ... and decided not to beat myself up about it! (I'm the villain after all, not a goody-goody theorist!)

When stacked as thirds, the bottom four are clearly F#o7, with the remaining four near the 9th, 11th, 15th, and 17th extensions. You might be saying, "But, 15ths and 17ths aren't really extensions..." and you might be right, I don't really know! (Mu-ha-ha-ha!)

​The way its voiced originally makes it feel like a diminished chord (that melodramatic one!) and what's curious is that the F#o7  might want to resolve to G, but that G is already superimposed as a G7#9, so there's some wanting and having, bait and switch, villainous joyful cruelty to that chord...

I promise I'm not a super-villain! Just a composer (which is the next best thing perhaps!)

"Rounds of Applause" is a series of pieces for an audience (or group of performers). They are sets of instructions,
patterns, or games and can be performed in any order. Preferably, they are taught to an audience and used instead
​of our standard "free-for-all" applause.

The composer is only half-joking ... these pieces, while perhaps impractical for actual "applause," do create a unique interplay between the social and the sonic worlds. They require us to participate. They require us to listen. They show us our divisions and our limitations. They show us our cooperation and our potential. And they are fun!

Earlier this June, I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of the inaugural Mostly Modern Festival, held at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. The festival, founded and organized by Robert and Victoria Paterson, was an incredible success!

Every aspect of this festival was so well-organized and encouraging and I am deeply grateful to all of the wonderful composers, musicians, clinicians, and organizers, who made this one of the highlights of my summer!

Below are a few videos and recordings of my pieces included in the festival.

"Ricercar" and "II. The Flood" from Chamber Symphony 'Beams of Heaven'
Originally submitted for the orchestral readings, these two movements from my in progress chamber symphony were selected to be premiered with the American Modern Orchestra and directed by Martim Sousa Tavares.

Selections from Paul Klee: Painted Songs
These three movements from my ongoing series were composed for the American Modern Ensemble. They are part of a larger set of Klee settings (Gallery II). The world premiere was conducted by Lauren Tian.

No. 13 "Rose Garden"
No. 17 "Carnival in the Mountains"
​No. 22 "Dream City"

Triptych from Paul Klee: Painted Songs
In addition to the premieres by the American Modern Ensemble, Bradley Bascon and Tom Valdez premiered a set of three pieces from Paul Klee: Painted Songs on one of the chamber music concerts.

No. 18 "Intoxication" for solo violin
No. 20 "Unstable Equilibrium" for violin and violoncello
No. 16 "In the Magic Mirror" for solo cello

My newly-composed work "Voices of the City" will be premiered alongside works by Libby Larsen and David Evan Thomas as part of the Open Source: World Premieres Concert, the opening night of the Source Song Festival.

Program:
"Pharaoh Songs" by Libby Larsen
Alan Dunbar, baritone
Mark Bilyeu, piano

"To Joy" by David Evan Thomas
Mary Wilson, soprano
Clara Osowski, mezzo
Jacob Christopher, tenor
Tyler Duncan, baritone
Arlene Shrut & Erika Switzer, piano
​
"The Voices in the City" by Jonathan Posthuma
Maria Jette, soprano
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Excerpts of my in-progress will be premiered in Curitiba, Brazil as part of the International Workshop or Orchestral Composition!!! I will be in Brazil from August 21 - 26 for the festival and honored to have my music performed by the ​Federal University of Paraná Philharmonic Orchestra.

A video introduction that explains a little about the upcoming premiere of "Suite Excentrique" with Transient Canvas and my participation in the Alba Music Festival both last year and this year!

This past weekend, "Lulajże Jezuniu," my recent arrangement of this lovely Polish Christmas lullaby was performed in Sioux Center, IA with the Dordt College Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Benjamin Kornelis and twice in Minneapolis and Saint Paul with Kantorei, under the direction of Axel Theimer.

I am truly blessed to have the support of these choirs in premiering this piece!

The Dordt College Concert Choir will be performing the piece again on their Winter Tour.

Dordt College performing "Lulajże Jezuniu" on December 9, 2016 (above). Kantorei performing "Lulajże Jezuniu" on December 11, 2016 (below)

The Karol Szymanowski International Composition Competition has recently released a version of the documentary for Katowice public television about the premiere of "Fili de Perle" (Strings of Pearls) that has English subtitles.

We are thrilled to announce that Jonathan Posthuma, a 2016 Alba Composition Program Fellow, is the first recipient of the Alba Alumni Commission Award. This newly established comission, named in honor of the late American composer, William Thomas McKinley, is awarded annually to one of the previous years' participants in the Alba Music Festival Composition Program. Mr. Posthuma will compose a new work for this years' resident ensemble, Transient Canvas, to be premiered during the 2017 Alba Music Festival.

Inspired by my trip to Poland in March, I thought about arranging a famous Polish Christmas carol for mixed chorus. The result is "Lulajże Jezuniu," a lush setting of this wonderful carol. After promoting the work a little, two choirs will be co-premiering the work this Christmas.

The Dordt College Concert Choir (my alma mater!) will present the work on Friday, December 9, 7:30 PM at the BJ Haan Auditorium in Sioux Center, IA and Kantorei (a choir I sing with in the Twin Cities) will present the work on Saturday, December 10, 7:30 PM at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Brooklyn Park and Sunday, December 11, 4:00 PM at the Saint Paul Seminary, Saint Paul.

The Dordt College Concert Choir will also feature the arrangement on its winter tour throughout the upper Midwest. Their tour program features works by several Minnesotan composer and I'm honored to be listed among them! Their performance in the Twin Cities is scheduled for January 8, 4:00 PM at Grace Evangelical Free Church / Calvin Christian High School in Fridely, MN (where I am a choir/band teacher!)

Truly blessed to have this piece featured throughout the Christmas season -- now to learn how to sing in Polish!