Faculty Recital
Music by Kirk O’Riordan
Faculty Artist Series
Saturday, April 9, 2022. 8:00 pm
Williams Center for the Arts
Performers
Holly Roadfeldt, piano
Manaka Gomi, piano
Phuong Nam Vu, piano
4@10
Beth Anne Castellano, violin
Anna Zittle, violin
Justin Kogasaka, viola
Kieran Ameres , violoncello
Kirk O’Riordan, saxophone
Program
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (2019)
I. dramatic, with motion
II. solemn; prayerful (In Memoriam: Frederick L. Hemke)
III. lyrically, with longing
Kirk O’Riordan, saxophone
Holly Roadfeldt, piano
Program Notes
The Sonata was composed for a consortium of saxophonists—student and professional—from across the United States. It was begun in February, 2019 and completed the following June.
There are no intentional explicit programmatic references in the music. That said, about the time I was completing the second movement, I got word that one of my most influential teachers, Dr. Frederick L. Hemke, had passed away. I didn’t begin work on the movement thinking it would become an elegy to my teacher, but I felt the music represents much of what I learned from him and I reshaped the existing music accordingly.
The third movement begins with something of a melancholy waltz that becomes more agitated as the movement progresses, culminating in a brief cadenza for the saxophone. The opening movement is a bit more dramatic and cerebral, paying homage to Copland and Barber, two composers I wish had written major works for the saxophone.
I would very much like to thank the consortium for their support of this piece.
from Twenty-Six Preludes for Solo Piano (2014)
Holly Roadfeldt, piano
Program Notes
Twenty-six Preludes was composed for Holly Roadfeldt between September 2013 and April 2014.
Unlike the famous preludes by composers like Bach, Chopin, and Debussy, mine are not organized by key. Instead, they are organized by “threads:” compositional ideas that are developed over the course of the entire set. Composing the set in this manner allowed me to develop several ideas concurrently with the idea that they would in some way merge together by the end of the set, giving the several disparate ideas a real reason to exist together in the same set. In addition, because I was not using key as a resource, I was not constrained by the number 24.
The end result is a cycle of preludes that is in some ways more closely related to a Schubertian song cycle than to the Preludes of Chopin, Bach, or Debussy. That is not to say that there is not a close conceptual connection with the Preludes of those masters (there are subtle references to each of those composers in the score), but my intention was to treat the Preludes in a cyclical fashion rather than, as is the case with Bach and Chopin, an exploration of the nuances of the 24 keys.
The preludes were not composed in the order that they are presented. Some of them came in quick bunches: two or three in a day; others took longer. In addition to developing the compositional threads, I was interested in creating a wide range of moods that also held together as a set. Overall, the moods become more intense as the set unfolds.
The premiere performance was given by Holly Roadfeldt on November 18, 2014 at the University at Albany.
The Preludes are featured as disk 2 of Holly Roadfeldt’s highly acclaimed CD, The Preludes Project, where they are paired with Chopin’s Preludes, op. 28. The CD is available in hard copy and via streaming services from all major vendors.
Elegy for String Quartet (2022)
World Premiere
4@10
Beth Anne Castellano, violin
Anna Zittle, violin
Justin Kogasaka, viola
Kieran Ameres, violoncello
Elegy was composed in early 2022. As I finish this piece, I am reminded that we live in a world that no longer has in it people like George Crumb, Frederick L. Hemke, Frederic Rzewski, Krzystof Penderecki, Eddie Van Halen, Neil Peart, and others—artists who have had a significant influence on my musical aesthetics over the years. This doesn’t mourn their passing as much as it mourns the loss of what the world no longer has.
Humming Spheres for piano duo (2010)
Manaka Gomi, piano
Phuong Nam Vu, piano
“There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.”
–Pythagoras
Lacrimosa for Solo Piano (2011)
Holly Roadfeldt, piano
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.
Mournful that day.
When from the ashes shall rise
a guilty man to be judged.
Lord, have mercy on him.
Gentle Lord Jesus,
grant them eternal rest. Amen.
Lacrimosa has been recorded by Holly Roadfeldt and is available on the Strange Flowers CD. It can be found in hard copy and on all major streaming services.
Composer Commentary
Thank you for coming this evening, and for supporting live music at Lafayette College. Ours is a department predicated on creation, and the sharing of the beauty common to all of human existence. I am proud to be a part of that as a composer and performer, and I am thrilled to be able to share that with my students, my colleagues, and the greater Lafayette community.
All of these pieces were composed during my time at Lafayette…Humming Spheres is the earliest, Elegy is just two months old. I like this collection of pieces because there is, I think, both unity and variety across the program: you’ll hear music influenced by composers like Arvo Part, Toru Takemitsu, Arnold Schoenberg, Brahms, Prokofiev, and Barber, among others, but these pieces share an attraction to the beauty of existence and that which makes us human. I think so, anyway.
I am so incredibly grateful for what these performers have given to the music on this program. Holly has been my strongest advocate for 30 years, and the attention to every nuance in her playing is humbling to me. She plays with such care and love for music, and it is a special treat to hear my music performed by an artist of that caliber.
The students performing on this concert are incredibly talented, motivated, and multi-faceted. I am thrilled that they have taken time from their already busy schedules to work so hard on these pieces. I love how they play my music, and I cannot thank them enough.
While I have you, I would like to invite you to our next concert–on Friday, April 29 (8 pm, Williams Center). That concert will spotlight several of our outstanding student composers (two of whom, Justin and Anna) are performing tonight. You’ll hear everything from jazz to a freely-atonal string quartet (by Justin)–and the evening will culminate in a fully-staged production (with orchestra) of Anna’s Honors Thesis, a chamber opera entitled Missed.
Thank you again for coming. I hope this music took you somewhere unexpected, personal, and beautiful. I hope to see you all on the 29th.
Biographies
Kirk O’Riordan, composer, saxophonist
Kirk O’Riordan’s music has been referred to as “unapologetically beautiful” and is often praised for its uniquely “visual” qualities that depict a wide range of striking moods. His debut compact disk, Strange Flowers, was praised by Audiophile Audition as “one of the most impressive and beautiful collections of chamber music I have heard in awhile….This is all just so lovely and invokes exactly the emotions that good music should be able to induce in all of us.” Gramophone Magazine praised O’Riordan as “a composer for whom imagery is a defining inspiration.…[he] is a deeply sensitive composer who savours going gently into the night.” (April 2014). His recording of his Twenty-Six Preludes for Solo Piano—by pianist Holly Roadfeldt—has attracted similar praise: they “are similarly atmospheric and proceed to unfold like a magical tapestry. Each of the 26 Preludes seemingly comprising of warp and weft forming a myriad of pixels of little pictures that ultimately combines to form a moveable feast for both eye and inner ear. O’Riordan’s miniatures are informed by languorous beauty and profundity, the lyrical variations of each often feature elaborate embellishments, as well as sudden dissonant figurations that seem to mimic the gravity-defying leaps of the gazelle…” (World Music Report, April 2017)
His most recent release, Autumn Winds, has been similarly praised. “Compositionally it seems on first blush simple at heart but as one listens the details both flesh themselves out and freshen the listening mind so that it all seems increasingly evergreen and more complex than at first might be thought.” (Gapplegate Music Review, 2020) “[O’Riordan] is not strictly speaking a minimalist, yet he possesses that rare quality of capturing a vivid musical landscape with Webern-like efficiency.” (The Morning Call).
O’Riordan (b. 1968) is an active composer, conductor, saxophonist, and teacher. His music has been performed in Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Finland, Italy, and Russia; and in nearly all of the fifty United States. In 2009 Dr. O’Riordan joined the faculty of Lafayette College where he serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands, teaching courses in music theory, and composition. In addition, conducts the Lafayette College Concert Band and Contemporary Music Ensemble. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University; the Certificate of Performance in Saxophone from Northwestern University; and three Master of Music degrees. Apart from his active teaching and composing schedule, Kirk is an avid fan of obstacle course racing.
Holly Roadfeldt, piano
Few musicians balance the new opposite the old quite like American pianist Holly Roadfeldt.
Described as wielding a “perfect pairing of technical prowess and innate sensitivity” (American Record Guide), Roadfeldt is one of contemporary music’s most prolific ambassadors, having performed over 150 world premieres by more than four dozen composers. Artistically, she obsesses over ensuring audiences connect to the music they hear, blending virtuosity with insight in her popular lecture recitals. For her efforts, music critics across the United States, Canada, Italy, U.K., and Spain have taken notice, including Gramophone’s Donald Rosenberg, who praises Holly as “a vivid pianist” with “beautiful playing”.
Roadfeldt’s three-year artistic flagship, “The Preludes Project”, saw her premiere 65 preludes alongside curated works within the standard repertoire in a 17-state tour, where she would refine her alchemy of present and past. Attracting attention across the industry, The Preludes Project CD subsequently released on PARMA Recordings as Holly’s debut album. Her collaboration with multi-GRAMMY® award winning producer Andreas Meyer would prove to be the first of many—he also produced Roadfeldt’s recent album Autumn Winds (2020).
Much of Roadfeldt’s recent pedagogical and artistic philosophy can be credited to Lisa, a 13-year old student who wondered why they “were only studying music written by men.” Compelled to make changes in her approach to music, Holly has since prioritized including composers across the gender spectrum in her pedagogy, and has commissioned composers such as Rasa Daukus, Mara Gibson, Michelle McQuade Dewhirst, Kala Pierson, Jessica Rudman, Julia Seeholzer, Stephanie Ann Boyd, and many others. With Lisa in mind, Roadfeldt hopes to encourage young female students to walk fearlessly down the road of self-expression and creativity.
Roadfeldt continues to perform in myriad contexts across Canada, Europe, Asia, and over 30 U.S. states. As a chamber musician, Holly has performed with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony, as well as with concert artists Alexa Still, Bonita Boyd, and Marcia Baldwin. Among Holly’s favorite collaborators was the revered Montréal-based dance troupe Compagnie Marie Chouinard, with whom she played Chopin’s complete catalog of Preludes.
Roadfeldt holds faculty positions at Muhlenberg College and at Lafayette College, where she is the Director of Keyboard Studies. She formerly held the title of Artist Faculty with Distinction at The Music School of Delaware, and previously served as faculty at the University of Delaware, Susquehanna University, Gettysburg College, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Indiana University.
4@10
Beth Anne Castellano, violin
Anna Zittle, violin
Justin Kogasaka, viola
Kieran Ameres, violoncello
4@10 is a String Quartet comprised of musicians from Chamber Orchestra with an interest in exploring string quartet repertoire. The group’s name was born out of their rehearsal time: since the ensemble is student run, the rehearsals fall when the four students have common free time, i.e. 10pm on Wednesday nights after Orchestra rehearsal. 4@10’s repertoire spans late romantic to contemporary music, include Dvořák’s “American” String Quartet, Gershwin’s “Lullaby,” and new works by Justin Kogasaka (violist) and Dr. Kirk O’Riordan. They are thrilled to be performing Dr. O’Riordan’s work on this program, and are looking forward to their future appearances at the LCCME Concert on April 29th at 8pm, the Student Honors Recital on May 6th at 8pm, and their own lunchtime performance on May 7th at 12pm.
Kieran Ameres (they/them, cello) is a freshman from Quogue, NY, majoring in Electrical/Computer Engineering and minoring in Music. They have played in the New York All-State Orchestra and are currently a member of the Lafayette Chamber Orchestra. They look forward to continuing their studies at Lafayette, studying abroad, and playing in future concerts.
Beth Anne Castellano is a violinist from Egg Harbor Township, NJ. She is currently a senior at Lafayette and will graduate with a B.S. in Mathematics and minor in Music. She is also involved in the Creative and Performing Arts (CaPA) Scholars program, Chamber Orchestra, and the Pit Orchestras for both the Marquis Players and Missed: A Micro-Opera. Post-graduation, she will be pursuing a PhD in mathematics.
Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, Justin Kogasaka is senior at Lafayette College studying Electrical and Computer Engineering and Music. He picked up the viola in 2012 performing in orchestra, string quartet, and pit orchestra during his high school career, and in 2020, he began his studies in percussion and composition. Justin continues to play viola with 4@10 and Chamber Orchestra, plays a variety of percussion instruments with Percussion Ensemble and Concert Band, and has written pieces for all of these ensembles. After graduation, he will be returning to Hawaii to work as a consulting engineer, but he hopes to eventually pursue graduate-level studies in composition and in power systems engineering.
A senior from Phoenix, MD, Anna Zittle (she/her, violin) is pursuing a Dual Degree in Math (B.S., Statistics Concentration) and Music (B.A.). Alongside performing with 4@10, she is a member of Chamber Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and Concert Band, as well as the music director for the Marquis Players. She is also an active composer, and has written a micro-opera for her Music Honors Thesis, which will be premiered at the Lafayette College Contemporary Music Ensemble concert on April 29th at 8pm. Post-graduation, Anna will be serving as a Fulbright Scholar English Teaching Assistant in the Czech Republic, before pursuing a PhD at Virginia Commonwealth University in Systems Modeling and Analysis.
Manaka Gomi, piano
Manaka Gomi is a junior at Lafayette College, pursuing a Music and Mechanical Engineering dual degree. She began her piano studies in Japan and continued her musical training after moving to the United States. In addition to learning a variety of styles and performance skills with her current piano instructor, Dr. Holly Roadfeldt, at Lafayette College, Manaka has a keen interest in understanding the structures and mechanisms of the piano. Her future plans include building an innovative keyboard instrument that can be the vehicle for creative and unique performance practices.
Phuong Nam Vu, piano
Recordings by Kirk O’Riordan
All are available from major retailers and streaming services.
