Ominous

Work Overview

Instrumentation: flute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling english horn), clarinet in Bb (doubling bass clarinet), alto saxophone, horn in F, marimba, drum set, piano, harp, violin 1-2, viola, cello
Premiere: November 7, 2023 at the San Francisco Conservatory
Duration: 12 minutes
Commissioned and premiered by the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition on May 17, 2024

Program Note

Ominous (2024) is a work that gives voice to emotions hovering over my mind late, as the anticipated post-COVID return to a sense of normalcy continues to elude so many of us, and further precipitated by seeing my mother suffer through debilitating health issues that have taken away her mobility and presence of mind, underscoring for me the fragility of our lives.

The piece was composed specifically to showcase the unique talents of the Grossman Ensemble. Although only 12 minutes long, the piece is charged and full of color, with surprise rhythmic punctuations, pitch bends, and murmurings, and requiring virtuosic playing throughout.