A few years ago my spouse and I got electric toothbrushes. Since then, every night before bed we both go into the bathroom to brush our teeth together. As we do, the tiny motor that powers my brush sends a vibration into my head, soothing my eardrums with a constant tone. Most nights, I really can’t help but hum along. On top of that drone, I’ll start to hum melodies, whatever comes to mind in my tired state. Not really caring about what comes next or how long I spend on each note, just following along with whatever feels right. One night, the melody stayed in my head long after I had gone to bed. The song of a passing moment while doing something mundane. I decided to jot down the notes on a sticky pad on my bedside table. A drone. A melody. A harmony. A rhythm. I put my pencil down and fell asleep. That sticky note became the foundation of Night Songs.

I tell you that story to highlight something important about melodies: They surround us in every moment — in the car, at your desk, at the dinner table, and yes, even brushing your teeth. Most are transitory, unnoticed, and unremembered. There’s something precious in that fleeting existence. In fact, perhaps this piece can be seen as sacrilegious from a certain viewpoint. Trapping a momentary joy in ink and paper, removing the sacred ephemerality it once held. I can understand that view, but I must say I prefer another perspective. By taking this song, expanding it as I have, and sharing it with you all, it creates a new experience. Maybe for those who hear this piece, on this night, in this place, with these people, they can find comfort in knowing that this one moment exists just here and now. It is unique, but it is not special. Moments like this happen to everyone every day. Take notice, and find comfort in that.

I was thrilled when I-Jen asked me to compose a piece for this concert. I have very fond memories of composing for the Percussion Ensemble back when I was a student. I was especially excited to write for the returning alumni, many of whom I had the privilege to play in the ensemble alongside while we were at UVA and many others I have the pleasure to have my first performance with tonight. This is by far the largest percussion ensemble I have ever composed. With 38 performers in total, our expansion of the performance beyond the stage and into the audience is not only a necessity for such a large group, but also creates a more immersive experience for the audience. Because of its scale, I know this piece is a massive undertaking, and I truly appreciate all the effort each player has put into creating this performance. My hope is that everyone here tonight, both performers and audience alike, will find joy in this piece — joy in this ephemeral experience together.

Night Songs was commissioned by the UVA Percussion Ensemble for their 20th Anniversary Concert to be premiered on April 5th, 2025.

Links: Score Premiere Event

Sudoku is a percussion ensemble written to be performed alongside the solving of a sudoku puzzle in real time. As the puzzle moves closer and closer to its solution, the percussionists will read the sudoku grid like a piece of music. Each performer is assigned a number between 1 and 9, and the placement of their number in the puzzle changes how they play.

Just as every sudoku puzzle has a unique solution, it also has a unique sound that is uncovered in real time as the piece unfolds. More than that, the way the solver approaches the solution has a dramatic impact on how the performers travel toward this solution sound. I'd encourage any audience member to not only follow along in the solving of the puzzle, but to also reflect on the solution's impact on the soundscape. 

Links: Score

Duet for Concert Bowls and Kitchen Viola was written on the request of the Piedmont Duo, Ayn Balija (viola) and I-Jen Fang (percussion). Since the pair often travel for their performances, my hope was to limit the scale of the percussion setup as much as possible, while still allowing for a diverse sound world. My solution was an exploration of metal mixing bowls. A set of mixing bowls produces an incredibly broad range of timbres and pitches that are fascinating and wonderful on their own. Comparing and contrasting this unconventional instrument with the more common sounds of a viola reveals a great many intersections between their otherwise unique textures. With the help of Ayn and I-Jen, who are both wonderful collaborators, I was able to create a broad color palette of sounds for this work. By employing a variety of experimental techniques, my hope with this piece is to illuminate the fascinating and wonderful domain of sounds shared by these instruments.

Links: Score

Performed by the Piedmont Duo (Ayn Balija and I-Jen Fang).

game. (2022)

Actor and mixed quintet

This is a piece about doing too much...

Each

musician

has a game

in front of them.

Each game has two

states that affect what

and how the musician will

play: one state occurs when the

game is well maintained, and the other

state occurs when the game falls into disrepair.

------------------------------------------------------------------

As our subject seeks out more games to add to their

ever-growing list of responsibilities, they realize far

too late that they cannot maintain everything.

There exists such a thing as too much.

---------------------------------------------

This is a piece about games,

and about how there

are too many for

one person

to enjoy

them

all.

Links: Score

Upper video recorded by Ensemble Dal Niente (dalniente.com) in Theatro São Pedro during the São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival (spccfestival.com)

Lower video performed by David Carlton Adams (electric guitar, davidcarltonadams.com), Max Eidinoff (piano, maxeidinoff.com), Ryo Hasegawa (conductor, hasegawaryo.com), Tyler Jordan (actor, tylerjordancomposer.com), Alberto Macias (cello), Luis Ozoria (trumpet, luisozoriamusic.com), and Mary Price (french horn, marypricecompositions.com). This performance is from Cameron's Master's recital in Griswold Hall at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University on February 17th, 2023.

Clockwork (2022)

Orchestra

99 Northeast Regional (2022)

Tenor saxophone and percussion duet

Kīlauea (2022)

Viola solo 

Collatz (2021)

Flute and crotales duet 

Morning (2021)

Percussion quintet

Morning was written for the UVA Percussion Ensemble of Spring 2021.

Links: Score

Recorded Performers: Cameron Church, Hayden French, Leah Baetcke, Olivia Hale, and William Simpson 

This is the original version of Uno before it evolved into a piece for video conference. Unlike the newer edition, this piece is entirely acoustic and is intended to be played in person with a physical deck of UNO® cards. The recommended number of performers for this piece ranges from 2-10.

Lagom (2020)

Mallet quartet for two marimbas, vibraphone, and xylophone

The word “lagom” is Swedish for “just the right amount”. It’s a life philosophy about balance and mindfulness. In that spirit, Lagom hopes to provide the listener with exactly what they want to hear, not too much and not too little. This piece offers a simple ABA structure with exciting variations on phrasing and meter that keep the piece engaging from beginning to end. Throughout Lagom, individual performers are given several soloistic moments that emphasize the strengths of their instrument. This piece isn’t meant to do anything crazy, it hopes to follow the lagom mentality, one that’s free of extremes and focused on balance. When you listen to this piece, remember to take a mental break and get into the mindset of Lagom.

Links: Score

Recorded Performers: Cameron Church, Edward Lue, Jack Engel, William Simpson 

Musical Chairs (2019)

Percussion quintet

Musical Chairs needs almost no introduction. Everyone has played the game before. You walk around and around a circle of chairs until the music suddenly stops and you sit down in a chair as fast as you can. Whoever can’t sit fast enough is out of the game. Then you remove a chair, start up the music again, and keep going until you have a winner. That’s exactly this piece… except now the music is live and the chairs are part of the music too! 

This is not your typical percussion ensemble ⎯ the primary instrument in Musical Chairs is the chair. Using the elimination-based format of the original game, this piece aims to explore every possible sound a chair can make. As players are gradually removed from the game and added to the mallet section, new approaches to playing the chairs are constantly introduced until a winner is finally revealed. Each round is carefully choreographed so that performers are placed in just the right position around the chairs at any given moment of a round. Before the piece begins try to guess which player is going to be the winner, then sit back and enjoy a game of musical chairs.

Links: Score

Recorded Performers: Abel Ruiz, Cameron Church, Darrion Chandler, I-Jen Fang, and Spencer Harris

🙈🙉🙊 (3 Monkeys) (2019)

Trio for open instrumentation

This is the original version of 3 Monkeys before it evolved into a piece for video call. This piece was written to be performed in person without the use of electronics.

Links: Score My Analysis

Figment (2019)

Flute duet 

17th Canvas (2019)

Mixed quartet for flute, oboe, vibraphone, and crotales

Movement (2019)

Percussion sextet for 3 marimbas

Links: Score

Partition (2018)

Piano trio  

Acrobat (2018)

Percussion octet

Links: Score

Criticaster Discourse (2017)

Clarinet quintet 

I have a lot of great memories going out to see movies with friends and family, and sometime after the show we would go out to dinner. Dinner discussion tended to revolve around our evening’s entertainment. We each discussed our likes and dislikes of the film, arguing our points with sharpened opinions about cinematography and foreshadowing in the plot and so on, when, in the end, none of us at the table are professional film critics. So professionally speaking, we really don’t know what we’re talking about.

These memories are what give this piece it’s name: Criticaster Discourse, criticaster meaning a false critic, and discourse meaning discussion. As you listen to this piece, you will notice this false intellectual tone as well as observe the melody flow around the ensemble mimicking a conversation. One section of the ensemble might introduce a thought, another continue it, and yet another conclude the idea. The conversation might move on to different subjects and then come back later on. As you listen, imagine the discussion going on and try to follow along with each new idea. 

Links: Score