Composers Workshop I

Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 7:30p in the Concert Hall

Program

Craig Jordan, piano
Kevin Swenson, electronics
 

Dialogues is an interactive electronic piece for computer and pianist played via the medium of a Yamaha Disklavier MIDI player piano. Originally conceived as an interactive installation, the computer analyzes the real time input of a human pianist and attempts to improvise along with them on the Disklavier. While this input could be any musical data playable on the piano keyboard, tonight’s performance features an interpretation of an aleatoric score that I composed to encourage participants to play materials that are ripe for generating musical dialogues with the computer. For more information about the piece’s aesthetic principles and technical realization please visit my website: www.kevinswenson.com
 

Jonathan Allen, trombone
Mariya Akhadjanova, piano
 

Reverie was written in June of 2025 for Dr. Jonathan Allen, Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Iowa. The piece evokes the experience of a daydream, from its hypnotic entrance to its "waking up to reality" ending. While not intended to be entirely virtuosic, Reverie showcases great ranges of both the trombone and the piano, while remaining rather simplistic and easily accessible to most audiences. The composition offers a break from the moment, an escape from tension. It comforts and entrances the listener; it takes them through a reverie of their own.
 

Benjamin Coelho, bassoon
Alejandro Jimenez, piano
 

Twilight O’er the Waters is a musical meditation on the fleeting beauty of dusk as it glides over a quiet African landscape. Scored for bassoon and piano, the piece draws on the sonic textures and philosophies of Impressionism while weaving in rhythmic gestures inspired by African pianism, where the piano takes on a percussive, almost talking-drum quality. The music unfolds in waves—sometimes shimmering, sometimes introspective—mirroring how twilight deepens across water, stirring memory and stillness alike. The bassoon sings with warmth and melancholy, at times echoing traditional reed instruments, while the piano dances between delicacy and urgency, grounding the music in earthy rhythm and gentle resonance. Improvisatory in spirit, the composition avoids rigid structure, favoring fluid transitions and modal inflections. The listener is invited to dwell in each moment, to hear not only melody but also the spaces between, where light fades and night gently enters.
 

Caleb Haselhuhn, baritone
Alejandro Jimenez, piano
 

If You Return Again is based on a passage from Forough Farrokhzad’s poem “Memories.” The poem reflects on love’s beauty and its danger—the wish for reunion and the fear of being consumed by passion.
     If You Return Again 
          Ah, if you return again to me, 
          I will never let you slip away so easily. 
          I fear this burning flame of love 
          May, in the end, set your soul aflame. 
 

Alex Johnson as Max
Blake Cordell as Tempest
 

Psychic superpowers. Max has had them ever since he was a child, ever since a once-a-decade comet passed Earth and blessed - or perhaps cursed - him. After years of hiding away, he hears whispers that a supervillain known as "Gravitus" is researching the comet and running experiments on a sample. He uses his powers steal the sample, but Gravitus' henchmen start to figure out Max's abilities. Will Max be able to find a way out, or will he be pushed towards villainy? 
Only a Mask will premier at The James Theater on October 30th, October 31st, and November 1st, 2025. Doors open at 7:00pm each night, and show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are pay-what-you-can starting at $0 and can be reserved at tinyurl.com/onlyamask

 

Yestyn Griffith and Renee Santos, violins
Kylie Little, viola
Haziel Cândido, violoncello
 

This work explores the five-syllabic syntax of the title—The Ri-Ver Wi-Thin. It is a work of art and a play on words while maintaining meaningful sonic and compositional tactics.
This work of art tells the story of a river (thoughts) in our minds and how each thought flows and weaves within one another. Like a kaleidoscope that reflects the outward manifestation of our inner thoughts, The River Within is set to explore how our inner thoughts shape our actions and, consequently, how others perceive us.