8/5/22
Making sound is weird and sometimes. I can’t seem to hear anything in my head. In those moments of sonic absence I try turning to other creative outlets. One of the places I find serenity is in thrown pottery. It is something I have done as a sort of escape passion. I find comfort there when my musical passion drains. Through the therapeutic, meticulous, delicate motion of the clay through my hands, I am able to, if only slightly, recharge my sonic passion. I return the following day and continue, making taller vases, bulbous mugs and wiggly bowls. They clay is messy and at any point in the process I could accidentally destroy the piece I have made. It teaches me care, it teaches me to let go, it teaches me to love the process and appreciate the product, and to NEVER lose focus on what I love. I have made an additional page where I will share pictures of my ceramics.
11/21/19
Super excited to share an article written by USC student Olivia Flynn for the Daily Trojan! I had the chance to talk a little bit about my music and my background. Very fun!!!!
Daily Trojan: Thornton junior inspires through classical composition
11/14/19
I am working on a film project with my friend and long time collaborator Ethan Bresnick. The film discusses particular formal and experiential elements that landscape architect Lawrence Halprin employed in designing his outdoor installations. When thinking about how to score a film that is broken up into sections, each of which explore different physical aspects of Halprins work, it made sense to break up my 8 piece ensemble into solos and duos. Though it may seem an intuitive response to the film’s format, I was excited to write various duos and solos corresponding to different parts of the architectural installation, and to have the instruments meld together at the end of the film as a parallel to the installations combination of all the discussed elements.
10/22/19
I have been working on my string quartet for the bay area based Friction quartet. Generally thinking about how I have alway felt a chasm between the sounds that I hear and the harmonic language that I am trying to use. I hope to bridge the two in this piece for Friction. The idea of a noticeable gradual shift out of what is recognizable to a listener, to a distorted world that still hints at what came before but has obstructed the original, interest me.
6/3/19
Just finished a super fun workshop with the Albany (NY) Symphony, led by Chris Theofanidis. I got to meet some super awesome composers and performers, and composer performers! Looking forward to Yellow Barn next week!!! Pictured, is Composer Aiyana Braun and myself enjoying the workshop.