1 score (vii, 56 p.) Includes one sound recording in AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) / <italic>The Amber of the Moment</italic> is a thirteen-minute composition for orchestra. Inspiration for this piece is drawn from two sources: the novel <italic>Slaughterhouse Five</italic> by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and my desire to utilize techniques derived from various musical cultures, including Balinese gamelan and African drumming and marimba playing. Although not directly narrative, much of the imagery portrayed in <italic>Slaughterhouse Five</italic> informed the emotional landscape of the piece. As to the use of techniques from other cultures, my aim is not to merely imitate them, but to utilize them in a manner appropriate to the tradition of orchestral concert music. / Committee in charge: Dr. David Crumb, Chairperson; Dr. Robert Kyr, Member; Dr. Stephen Rodgers, Member

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In his novels Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut explores issues of cultural identity in technologically-advanced societies post-World War II. With the rise of globalization and rapid technological advancements that occurred postwar, humans worldwide were mitigating the effects of information overload and instability in cultural identity. The influx of cultural influences that accompany a global society draws attention to the fluidity and inevitability of cultural change. A heightened awareness of cultural influences—past and present—creates anxiety for the generation living postwar and before the dawn of the Information Age. This generation suffers from “cultural schizophrenia”: a fracturing of the psyche characterized by anxiety over unstable cultural identities and agency. With the characters of Billy Pilgrim and Winston Niles Rumfoord, Vonnegut explores the different reactions to and consequences of cultural schizophrenia. His unique writing style is an effective hybrid of science fiction conventions and the complexities of human culture and society. Ultimately, Vonnegut explores the dangers of detachment and the complicated nature of agency with novels that are both innovative and accessible.