The compositional goals strived for in this work are (1) to unify the past and present, (2) to present a rhythmically simple but harmonically complex use of the voices, (3) to explore the timbral complexities of voices and instruments, (4) to explore rhythmic changes without changing meters, (5) to integrate the orchestra and chorus so as to produce one musical entity rather than two opposing groups, (6) to produce a work that is both practicable in performance and contemporary in spirit.

Te Deum is a concert work for orchestra (woodwinds in pairs plus contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, percussion, and strings) and a large mixed chorus. The text is derived from The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. In the interest of intelligibility, the text setting is mostly syllabic. The single through-composed movement, lasting about eleven minutes, is divided into three principal sections. Section two contains the primary climax of the work. The basic musical material of the piece is a set of motives which are altered and combined in various ways.

This quartet shows the composer's development from a highly chromatic, freely melodic, un-serialized style in movement I, through a still free, but disjunct, somewhat more ordered style in movement II, to a style in movement III which makes much use of serial techniques. This last usage, however, no longer employs the twelve-tone method in a stiff and fettered manner.

A Psalm Fantasy is a cantata in three movements for mezzo-soprano or baritone soloist, chorus of mixed voices and orchestra. The orchestra comprises two flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns in F, three trumpets in B-flat, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, xylophone, harp and strings.

Gilgamesh is a dramatic solo for contralto. An unusual feature of this project is the composition of two separate and distinct versions of the instrumental accompaniment. One version is for a large concert band with an expanded percussion section and is almost fourteen minutes in length. The other version is for a small ensemble consisting of piano, percussion (xylophone, 4 tom-toms and miscellaneous instruments) and prepared tape. It is eleven minutes in length.

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Thrust into a world of poetry, I’ve grown to embrace the poetic lens. Each topos, each trope, each rhyme, each cliché, each morning morning’s minion, each reduction to a state of almost savage torpor, each nightingale, each ode to an obscure, inanimate object, and every single Stella of the skies holds special significance hidden to the naked eye. Not insamuch as something undiscoverable upon ponderance. Rather, a way to contemplate the physical. The Ah, Sunflower! reaction. That is not to say that poets have a supernatural eyesight to certain beautiful images. My eyes do not see any more dandelion puffs whirl-winding in the sky than others.’ Take the image a step further. The puff of dandelion seeds becomes a floating scoop of ice cream. Dripping sweet nutrients to the field, fostering the growth of new dandelions. So, now we have the permission to kick the field of dandelions and birth more scoops. These words come after my project as they are a reflection of my poetry. There is a step after expressing one’s thoughts into a poem. That is to say, it is important to re-read your poetry once your mind has settled. You can begin to reflect more objectively on your actions that put you into the poetic mindset. In the following pages, I have organized a few stories with deeper philosophical insight than my poems. Like my poems, they are about loss, love, life. But they contain moments of meditation and reflection. Moments in which I engage the reader with what is swimming around my head now that I’ve tried to understand the situation more objectively. But does reflection bring us closer to objectivity? It is common to believe that memory alters and bends the truth. By expressing my emotions ‘in the moment,’ I am lying. My written emotions are more driven by how I’m feeling with the pen in my hand than how I felt before I jumped off a wall and broke my ankle. Yet, this prose sort of writing provides us with a different effect than poetry. Much of my poetry has been a series of images or emotions. Very little self-reflection on cause-and-effect or position in society is explicit. For the most part, I urge the reader to find my thoughts afterwards within my diction, syntax, or rhythm. During this prose section, I will outright express my emotions as they are. Rather than convoluting a failed relationship and describing it as a metaphorical moat, I will say that I feel as if there is a boundary between us now. I will address how frantically I behave when I see her in my peripherals, just dying to get her attention. I will conclude with the reflection that I only set myself up for more disappointment by expecting any kind of positive reaction. The result of these ‘after words’ is more insight on the reader’s end, hopefully. When writing poetry I try to apply sensory images that put the reader in the present moment I am trying to convey. My goal is to give the reader a first-hand view at the experience. My prose attempt to provide the reader with insight to a more reflective mode of expression. While my poems create a comprehensive view on the inner workings of my mind, I expect that this additional prose section will bring the project full circle.

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Permission from the author to digitize this work is pending. Please contact the ICS library if you would like to view this work.

"Scam King" is a full-length feature screenplay and follows standard script format. The idea behind "Scam King" came originally from the James Joyce short story "Two Gallants" in Dubliners. "Scam King" is, however, not an adaption of Joyce's story, but rather was inspired by the gaps in his story pertaining to the characters' way of life on the street.