Description
Click here to view the perusal score for Echoes.
Watch Mother Chaos give the world premiere of Echoes:
Program notes:
If I’m being honest, I spent most of my graduate study attempting to claw back my sense of play. It had been shut away over a period of decades—by friends and peers who taught me that my curious creativity could be met with contempt, by teachers who whisked opportunities further out of reach when I went with my gut, by family both blood and chosen who from time to time decided my light was a little too bright. After spending the end of my undergrad degree actively grappling with my most acutely traumatic childhood memory (and knowing my future creative work would entail more of the same), I was sure I needed to find some safe, genuine ways to let the light back into both my creative practice and my life.
The act of intentionally reaching for playfulness, hope, and joy has changed me for the better every day since. Years of personal growth and introspection have made it clear in hindsight that my neurodivergence—and the mask I’ve cultivated to hide the outward signs of my ADHD—has been a dominant influence on my own tendency to diminish myself. Still, I’ve watched neurotypical and differently neurodivergent friends struggle with detachment from what we perceive as our genuine selves. Wishing we could tap back into our childhoods and other moments when we more genuinely made our mark on life is often a common component of our longing.
So when Jen Oliverio told me during our brainstorming that her greatest joy was her child and the experience of watching him interact with the world, we both found this an ideal opportunity to tap into our senses of playfulness through the lens of a child’s creative exploration. The title Echoes refers not only to the mimicry through which children commonly learn their early vocabulary but also to the tangible impacts our early experiences (playful or otherwise) can have on us across many decades. Jen’s child is directly reflected in the work as well; many of the fundamental cornet motives are drawn from collected field recordings of his songlike babble. Ultimately, we hope this addition to the cornet repertoire will give performers both an opportunity and an invitation to step into their playful selves and grace their audiences with the accompanying emotional vulnerability that decision may invoke.
Performance notes (excerpt):
Echoes is a piece where the counterpoint nerd in me came out to play. As such, you’ll find that the technical demands of a single performer’s part are compounded by the harmonic and rhythmic interplay between cornet and piano. For soloists who intend to present this work after very limited time working with an accompanist, it is imperative that you have a clear understanding of not only your entrances and exits (which aren’t always as intuitive as you’d expect) but also of whether you are playing a leading or supporting role in any given moment. While some will brush this off as a polite but toothless forewarning, I need to underscore that my works have a long history of surprising performers because some easy-looking line in an individual part is in fact pretty tricky to line up with the surrounding music. To ensure a successful performance, I’d much rather see you overprepared than underprepared!
As in some of my other 2020s-era works, I have included small noteheads in the cornet part where range may be prohibitive to allow each performer the freedom to choose a path through the music that works for them. If you don’t feel good about your high range, play the lower options! Any path you choose through these options is not only acceptable but wonderful in my eyes; it is important to me that you are able to put on a performance you’re proud of, not just that you hit a specific note.
Emotionally and thematically speaking, Echoes is an interaction between a main character, symbolized by the cornet, and the world around them, symbolized by the piano. You can decide if the main character is a child, an adult, neurotypical, neurodivergent… the choice is yours! Regardless of how you construct the character, though, I’ve woven in some tension between cornet and piano. Here are some specifics you may want to consider as you prepare:
- I recommend all performers keep this basic idea in mind: although this piece at times feels adversarial, it begins (and ends!) with both performers trying to make music out of the same basic idea. The tension in the work is entirely rooted in the idea that the world doesn’t agree with how the main character would like to do that, and the main character doesn’t understand why all their different attempts to accommodate the world remain unsuccessful. The two don’t truly work together until they take the time to understand each other and take steps to get on the same page.
- As a general rule, until the 4/4 section, the cornet (the main character) wants to feel in 3/4 whenever possible, while the piano (the world) strongly feels in 6/8. While each party will from time to time acquiesce to the other, this tension is one of the driving rhythmic elements of the piece. In many places during the 6/8 section, I have intentionally notated the cornet as if it was in 3/4 to highlight this further.
- Also as a general rule, when the cornet iterates on an idea, it tends to pay attention to the shape of the line, not so much the pitch center. As a result, you’ll see lots of moments where the piano is frantically trying to modulate or otherwise harmonically make sense of the cornet’s movements, also contributing to the tension between the two instruments. Two early examples of this are in meas. 54-55 and 56-57.
[Notes continue in the score]
Frequently asked: How should I write the name of this piece in programs/posts/etc.?
Answer: With the first letter capitalized (Echoes). This is the rare piece of mine (post-2020, at least) which DOES capitalize in ways readers might expect, so thank you for your attention!
May I chop up your program notes?
Answer: Please don’t! My notes are in many cases my only opportunity to speak directly to your audience. If limited program space is a consideration, consider linking them to this page via a QR code and/or reading them aloud for your audience during your set.
Can I download materials forever?
Answer: As long as my website is functional and the materials are stored there, yes. HOWEVER, I strongly encourage all performers to download all your performance materials immediately after purchase—technical difficulties can occur on both my end and yours, and I’d hate to leave you without your materials if a problem arises!
What is the Atkinson Hyperlegible edition?
Answer: The Atkinson Hyperlegible edition is a new, second version of the score that delivers along with my original. This edition exclusively uses a typeface (Atkinson Hyperlegible Next) that is designed to be friendlier for low-vision and dyslexic folks. It automatically delivers with all scores composed in 2025 or later, and I am in the process of retroactively adding these additions for new purchases of older works. If you have previously purchased or commissioned a piece of mine and would benefit from an Atkinson Hyperlegible edition, please drop me an email using the information on my Contact page and I will get you a PDF ASAP at no charge!
Many thanks to the consortium members who made this piece possible:
Jennifer Oliverio, consortium lead | Dr. Alex Wilson, Grand Valley State University | Amanda Ross, Oakland University | Anne McNamara, Illinois State University | Benjamin Hay | Bonnie Callahan | Buddy Deshler, Furman University | Caleb Niehoff | Carlos Perez-Hijar | Carrie Blosser | Doug Reneau | Elliott Morrison | Ethan Craft | Dr. Flint Angeroth Franks | Hannah Markun | Dr. Jacinda Ripley | Jacob Rushlow | Dr. Jason Bergman, Indiana University | Dr. Joe Nibley, Fort Lewis College | Dr. John Marchiando, University of New Mexico | Jon Ailabouni, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse | Kole Micakaj | Dr. Louie Eckhardt | Madison Braye | Matthew Onstad, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | Mekenzie Miller | Michael Brown, University of North Georgia | Paige Willis | Robert Hatch | Seth Marshall | Wesley UMC Fresno
Known performances:
Got one I’m missing? Let me know! (And performers: if you see a name on here that you no longer use, I will fix it! Please send me an email with your old name, what you’d like it changed to, and where it appears.)
- 11/5/2025, Mother Chaos (Jen Oliverio and Kristy Mezines), Kansas City, MO (world premiere). Click here to watch the world premiere on YouTube.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.