Arranging/Concert Music

Collaborating with poet and songwriter Liz Moss, I arranged her original poem “October” for choir.

I was seeking the creative challenge of taking an existing set of lyrics and turning it into an equally poetic choral piece, and I strove to augment the spirit of the poem with my own feelings and exp

I recorded all vocal parts with my own voice—quite the exercise in range—and threw them together to create this score video.

After successful film festival run, Arco was selected for performance at Lipscomb University’s 2024 Film Score Concert.

To make this happen, I created sheet music for all instrument parts, put together a click track, and carefully ensured that everything lined up absolutely perfectly. It was an interesting challenge notating the “scary aleatoric stuff” while also making sure everything was playable. Fortunately, all my time spent in orchestras and wind ensembles (and orchestration class) paid off.

The score was performed live in the concert (video above), to great reviews (from audience members and musicians as well).

I captured many of the unique and intense emotions inside my head regarding my impending university graduation in the form of a wind ensemble piece.

Challenged by my teacher, I completed the piece in time for the United States Marine Band’s Call For Scores, where it placed as a semifinalist.

I created this arrangement from the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack by ear, contacted a bunch of musician friends, and this is the result!

It was a fun challenge to create the arrangement and organizational processes to ensure that everything lined up, since everyone recorded their own part.

I also hand-edited the pitch and timing on every track, doing my best to transform iPhone audio into something beautiful.

My first foray into concert composition, “Lost” is a piece for SATB choir with divisi, that “uses drifting, expressive melodies and evocative choral textures to capture the listlessness and detachment of feeling lost in life, but finds solace in the musical journey and resolution at its conclusion.”

Working under Ben Blasko, I was responsible for arranging and orchestrating Tommee Profitt’s “It Came Upon a Mignight Clear” and “Come All Ye Faithful” for 50-piece orchestra, 100-person choir, full band, and solo artists.

Despite this project’s scale, we completed our work at a professional level of quality that was commended by Tommee Profitt!

Pushing my mockup and ear-training skills to the limit, I transcribed every note of the Radiance battle music from the acclaimed indie game Hollow Knight, and I recreated the entire track according to my own creative sonic vision– purely for fun (and to build those skills!)

Be sure to check out the ending– you don’t want to miss it. The pipe organ pedals hit different.