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Program

Travels (2024) World Premiere

Josh Goo (b. 1995)

Sonatine for Bb Clarinet and Piano (2014)

Valerie Coleman (b. 1970)

Fin de la Tierra: Land's End (2023) Consortium Premiere

Jenni Brandon (b. 1977)

Paragon for Clarinet and Piano (2015)

Theresa Martin (b. 1979)

Program Notes

Travels by Josh Goo

Travels is a very programmatic piece that I wrote for a travel themed recital in 2024. It explores all kinds of emotions that are experienced through the course of travelling. Starting with the sense of adventure, the longing for travel while being at home, and continuing through to the longing for home while away.

Listen for the train, as well as a few other fun extended techniques, and enjoy the journey of anticipation, excitement, reflection, and celebration!

Sonatine for Bb Clarinet and Piano by Valerie Coleman

Sonatine is an 8-minute recital work in one movement inspired by Coleman’s travels throughout Europe, most notably while touring with jazz icon Steve Coleman. The work is reminiscent of a performance at a nightclub, where players wailed soulful tunes and riffs on a lovely summer evening in Berlin. Sonatine starts on fire, and thrives with intensity, rhythmic drive, and drama for both clarinetist and pianist.

Fin de la Tierra: Land's End by Jenni Brandon

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico is the famous “El Arco” (the Arch). The granite rock formations not only mark the most southwestern point of Baja, California, but also serve as a separation between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) known as “Fin de la Tierra” or Land’s End. A study in contrast, this area from El Arco and continuing around the eastern side of Baja into Cabo Pulmo National Park encompasses what Jacques Cousteau once called “the world’s aquarium”.

In this 17-minute concerto for Clarinet in B-flat and piano (version with chamber orchestra available), the diverse ecosystem of this area is explored. The clarinet soloist serves as a guide, taking us on a journey through this UNESCO World Heritage site to observe the beauty and diversity of the landscape, the water, the animals that live in and around it, and their symbiotic relationship that requires a delicate balance of conservation and exploration. The piano and the clarinet soloist provide that symbiotic relationship as the ensemble becomes the water, the rock sentries at Land’s End, and the many colors of the sea, underwater life, and wind and waves that make up the beauty of this seascape.

The clarinet gives us a view from above and below the water, sometimes with a bird’s eye view of the rock formations, then dipping below the surface of the Sea to follow the many colorful fish that make this area their home. Some that appear in this work include Sea Horses, a school of Goatfish, Trumpetfish, and Long-Spined Porcupinefish. A special part of this concerto is a solo by the clarinet as it tells the story of the Munk’s Devil Ray, or Mobula Ray. Tens of thousands of these rays gather here in April-June, breaching the water like popcorn and making a spectacular show unique to this area. This solo will be expanded beyond the concerto version to become a stand-alone solo for Clarinet.

Beyond the exploration of this beautiful area through the colors of the clarinet and piano, this work hopes to bring attention to the importance of conservation of such places in the world that we all may continue to enjoy and protect these areas for generations to come.

Commissioned by Dr. Jeremy Reynolds, the chamber orchestra version premiered during the 2023 ClarinetFest in Denver, Colorado, and the piano version is supported by a commissioning consortium.

This is a single-movement work with sections:

I. Where the Pacific Ocean Meets the Sea of Cortez
II. Rock Sentries
III. The World’s Aquarium

Paragon for Clarinet and Piano by Theresa Martin

I first discovered the term paragone while reading a book about the science of competitiveness. In the Italian Renaissance, paragone was the idea of competition between creative artists: painters, musicians, and sculptors. They believed that only through paragone could you see the real significance of a work. Artists trained side-by-side in direct competition and often debated over which of the creative endeavors was the most worthy.

In modern times, the English term paragon has come to mean a model or pattern of excellence, an ideal or standard. This is where my inspiration was fully ignited. I wanted to write a piece that, in my mind, outlined the perfect life. It would begin with birth and a soul being surrounded by love, move through phases of learning, joy, amusement, and adventure, and would come back full circle to all-encompassing love into a peaceful departure from this world.

Paragon has personal significance for me, as well. During the course of writing the piece, a relative of mine passed away from cancer at age 62. No one knows how much time we will have on this earth. Paragon is my shared hope for the ideal life, full of meaning, love, and joy.

Spoilers Below!

Expand the sections below to follow along with the narration or images on your own device.

The Story Script

Hello travelers! We are so excited that you have chosen to join us in traveling across the world. You’re in store for an exciting journey created by clarinet solo music, along with AI generated images, and me to guide you along the journey.

The images that you will see on screen are not necessarily accurate depictions, but rather a jumping off point to get your imagination going on your journey.

Our first piece is written by Josh Goo about the act of traveling. In this piece, we’ll find that the emotions one experiences during travel are more than just excitement and enjoyment. At the beginning, hopeful curiosity leads into a sense of excitement as we arrive at our destination. But, as a solo traveler, our internal contemplation shows us that the unknown brings both a sense of adventure and anxiety. Homesickness comes in waves as we reflect on the fact that we will never be who we were before this trip.

However, this homesickness is blessedly short as a victorious melody showcases the vibrant colors, smells, and new human connection that comes with fully experiencing a place, one that is both foreign and familiar. Travels reminds us that our time goes by more quickly than we anticipate and soon we are at the end, with new things experienced and learned. Then, we will be ready for our next adventure into the unknown.

Travels - Josh Goo

Now that we are in the mood to travel and you have your bags packed, we are heading to Europe with Valerie Coleman’s Sonatine, a piece inspired by the jazz clubs in Berlin.

In the capital city of Germany, the air is warm and full of life. As we walk along the streets during the evening, people walk past us carrying Radlers, speaking German and Turkish, and riding bicycles. Around various parts of town, we hear a jumble of music coming from multiple places. Jazz clubs beckon us in with their gorgeous colors and fantastic music trickling out through the open doors.

The summer evening is warm and relaxing as we take part in all that Berlin’s creative atmosphere has to offer. In the music, we hear erratic jumps, legato runs, and dissonance that all mingle together with feelings of love, intrigue, loss, and celebration. We are left with the feeling of an unresolved want, a need that will draw us back into the complexity of jazz’s embrace.

Sonatine - Valerie Coleman

Now, we move to the other side of the globe to the Sea of Cortez at Fin de la Tierra, also known as Land’s End. Here, we’ll be visiting both the surface and the depths of the sea. We can appreciate the beauty of El Arco (the Arch), the dance of currents where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet, and the diverse ecosystem one can find diving underwater.

We begin with an empty scene. A few birds here and there dot the sky, riding the wind’s current. We feel both the lightness and breeze underneath our wings as we observe the birds’ freedom of movement in such a beautiful place.

Our adventure-seeking spurns us to explore further and we see that the surrounding water is both easy-going and strong. Its vivid blue color is enhanced by the flashes of bright animals we see underneath its waves.

Surrounding the water, steep cliffs quickly rise and form the large Rock Sentries. Their solidified strength encapsulates every element we see here into its own protected world. They stand tall, ready to weather the wind and natural elements as they have for many years before today.

Then, diving beneath the strong waves, we get to see the bright and diverse life that lives below in a world very different from ours. Up close, the differences in each form of life create a tapestry of nature, with congregations of fish and rays working in harmony to create beautiful patterns of movement. The consistency of the tide is interrupted by both the darting and fluid movement of the fish.

Throughout Fin de la Tierra, we get to explore how all parts of this region come together in a symbiotic relationship to create a beautiful and unique area of strength, ease, color, and peace.

Fin de la Tierra - Jenni Brandon

Since we’ve taken off on our travels, we’ve been enjoying traveling to physical destinations, but now it’s time to travel in a different way. Our last piece is entitled Paragon which, in modern times, means a model or pattern of excellence, an ideal or standard.

Throughout our individual travels through life, we all hope and work for an ideal life, whatever that looks like to us. This paragon motivates us, defining what steps we choose to take and how we choose to journey through our existence. Each of us has to choose how we uniquely travel throughout life, the most important journey we will ever take. We hope that each of you reach the paragon you are working towards.

I’d like to share a villanelle poem I wrote inspired by this piece. Villanelles have a strict structure of 19 lines, with two lines repeating at various times throughout the poem. I chose this structure because its rhythm makes me think of the many routines we go through in life, until existence requires a change.

The Paragon of Existence - by Hannah Moody-Goo

Complexity and confidence, consequence and compassion
Emotions throughout time, that who we become
Both a close friend, and a unique stranger

Curiosity for our surroundings turns inward
Defining oneself in contrast and in agreement with our people, our world
Complexity and confidence, consequence and compassion

An embedded intensity that grows throughout time
The never ending search for unconditional love is
Both a close friend, and a unique stranger

Broken bones, tender bruising scarlets, aches and pains
A lesson, a story, or a tether to death
Complexity and confidence, consequence and compassion

New growth gives way to comfortable routine
Death upon this pale blue dot emerges
Both a close friend, and a unique stranger

A silent contemplation no longer put off
Forgiveness to oneself, joy for others
Complexity and confidence, consequence and compassion
Both a close friend, and a unique stranger

Paragon - Theresa Martin

View the AI Image Slideshow

Discussion Questions

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