Broken Bebop - Michael DeBellevue

A bepop-inspired phrase is suddenly interrupted.

Michael DeBellevue is a pianist and composer currently pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. His music balances competing themes of incorporating improvisation and the use of mathematical rules.

L'Homme Armé - Gracie Fagan

The L’Homme Arme’s many interpretations back in the 14th century goes to show that while composition and arrangement has changed drastically, it also hasn’t changed one bit.

Gracie Fagan (she/her) has written for band ensembles (Millard North High school concert and marching bands), and for chamber ensembles and solo instruments (Glenn Korff school of music strings program), but much of her music is electronic and for media (Faenya, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Dance). Her passion for storytelling through performance can been seen in every piece she writes. Recent works include the short sci-fi film “Mountain Climber,” directed by Rebecca Snowden, the animated short “Boom Mike,” directed by Michaela Tonak, and singles under Fagan’s artist name, Faenya. In 2018, she won the Nebraska Young Artist Award for composition from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Currently Fagan is living in Lincoln, Nebraska, drinking far too much espresso and listening to True Crime podcasts.

Charcuterie and Cigarette Smoke - Mason Siragusa

"The title of this piece comes from the memories I had with my grandfather at his house. Good food, time spent with family, charcuterie snacks, the smell of cigarettes, and a jazz radio television station being played in the background." - Mason Siragusa

Mason Siragusa is an up and coming composer from Omaha, Nebraska, getting a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition with a Music Tech minor. In addition to composition, he is an accomplished bass guitar player, and is currently involved in the Big Red Express and small jazz ensembles. He has also participated in Varsity Choir, All-Collegiate choir, Horn Studio, and Husker Horn Choir. After completing study at UNL, he plans to pursue a career in video game and film scoring. Outside of composing, you can find Mason engrossed in various video games and good books.

Presenting - Gracie Fagan

"Imposter syndrome - The internal belief that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be."

Intermission

String Quartet No. 2 - Dietrich Hitt

String Quartet No. 2 loosely documents, fragments, and deconstructs the details of a story that comes together as it happens. To put it another way, the story is not written with the benefit of hindsight, nor is it written by an individual with an individual perspective - it attempts to capture a sample of the totality of a piece of time and space in which events happen. The whole unit is followable- still a “story” by any reasonable metric, but it can appear to be anything from simply unclear around the edges, to noticeably absurd or grating, or even resembling an almost-tangible sonic force that rushes through the body. The “live” perspective of the story’s writing compliments the story’s subject matter; the story documents a world where the uncertain and the unexpected pollute and infect the air. This uncertainty uproots the relationship that individuals have with themselves and their environments and is connected to every aspect of their lives. Examples include our routines, such as a person’s work, hobbies, leisure time, or lifestyle choices; other more “mental” examples may include a person’s ideology, beliefs, or worldview. When these things are severed from our grounding, we have no choice but to rethink our own relationship to our world around us, running the risk of never being able to go back - because we already can’t. We can’t burn bridges because our world will burn them for us. Those who find themselves trying to run back to the old world will find even more difficulty than those who brave the unknown. There is no way to write the ending of this story, because the “ending” is yet to come. The “ending” is outside the bounds of the story. The story’s very existence requires a lack of knowledge of when - or even if - the story ends. If the ending existed and was knowable, wouldn’t the story change, too?

Dietrich Hitt is a composer and musician from Lincoln, Nebraska. Starting early as a percussionist, he has since picked up double bass, voice, and most recently, composition. Dietrich has enjoyed performing as part of UNL’s various choirs, as well as the symphonic band, jazz ensembles, and the opera. He can also be heard performing at the Haymarket’s TADA Theater. When he’s not writing or playing music, Dietrich enjoys studying philosophy, history, chess, mathematics, and music theory. Dietrich intends to pursue graduate study in music composition and theory after finishing his music composition and mathematics degrees at UNL.

Shipwrecked/Buffeted Ridge - Josh Aguiar

Two pieces from an ongoing collection, both follow the plot from a personal Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Shipwrecked follows the tale of a lost soul washed ashore and their subsequent wondering. Buffeted Ridge explores the state of mind of several characters as they make plans to rescue a captured companion.

Josh Aguiar is composer interested in a variety of subjects. Most of his work is programmatic in nature, featuring some kind of story or imagery in its conception.

Zen Ni Modoru - Metro Lyle

"Zen Ni Modoru is an experimental piece dedicated to the dichotomy of chaos and cosmos. The graphic score depicts the balance between the ever-present conflict of man and the eternal tranquility that both coexist within us all. Included in the score is the Japanese Nichiren Buddhist chant ""Namu Myoho Renge Kyo"" (Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra) written in Kanji. Please enjoy this performance by the newly-formed experimental ensemble, UNL Atonal Avenues. We are always seeking new members. Join us if you dare . . ." - Metro Lyle

Metro Lyle is a second-year DMA student studying jazz composition with Professor Tom Larson. He is a member of the UNL Jazz Orchestra, Graduate Combo, and is a teaching assistant in the jazz department. His past education includes a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance (Western Illinois University) and a Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy (University of Northern Iowa). He hopes you enjoy this edition of Flyover New Music.