All works published exclusively by Arbor Mundi Music Publishers
Solo Works
NEW WORK (in progress)
for organ
Commissioned by organist Carson Cooman
Premiere: to be announced
Out of Blue (in progress)
for solo cello
Commissioned by cellist Wendy Sutter
Premiere: to be announced
Imaginary Pieces (2004)
for piano
I. Cloud Watching
Commissioned by the Kaufman Center in New York’s Piano Project in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Kaufman Center in New York
Premiere: December 2004 at the Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Center, New York, New York
Preludes to Solitude (2001) 7’
for solo guitar
I. Andante agitato (attacca)
II. Allegro con fuoco
Commissioned by the Hammer and Nail Project at the Indiana University
Premiere: October 2001 by Espen Jensen, guitar, at Auer Hall at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana
Works for Two
Interstices of Aurorae (2010) 10'
for clarinet and cello
Commissioned by the Azure Ensemble
Premiere: December 2010 at Merkin Hall, New York City by the Azure Ensemble
Dedicated to Eva Soltes and Sue Bienkowski; composed while Composer-in-Residence at Harrison House, Joshua
Tree, California
Chanson d'orage (2009) 10'
for two violins
Commissioned by the 2009 Savannah Music Festival
Premiere: 22 March 2009 by violinists Daniel Hope and Lorenza Borrani at the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia
"The 10-minute folie a deux begins with the violin lines tightly intertwined. The instruments seamlessly switch roles as accompanist and melody-messenger. They frequently converge, wrestle, caress, capitulate. Entanglement is the name of the game, with moments of singing lyricism. It's a virtue that du Bois's music is simple without being simplistic, maintaining a buoyant intensity that doesn't wear you out." -Gramophone Magazine
Sonata for Cello and Piano (2004) 8’
Commissioned by the Kaufman Center by the Zoom: Composers Close Up series at Merkin Concert Hall
Premiere: February 2004 by Avigail Arad, cello, and Lisa Moore, piano at Merkin Hall, New York
Absalom (2001) 7’
for violin and prepared piano
Premiere: July 2001 by Alexandra du Bois, violin, and Min-Ju Choi, piano, at the La Schola Cantorum in Paris, France
Corazón Nuevo (New Heart) (2000) 7’
for tenor and piano
Text by Federico García Lorca
Premiere: September 2000 by Kevin Skelton, tenor, and Martin Kennedy, piano at the Indiana University School of Music Concert Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Sonata for Violin and Piano: The Storm (1999) 8’
I. Adagio moderato con moto (attacca)
II. Andante sostenuto
Commissioned by the String Department at the Longy School of Music
Premiere: December 1999 by Stanislav Antonevich, violin, and Deborah DeWolf-Emery, piano at Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Return (1999) 3’
for soprano and piano
Text by Federico García Lorca
Commissioned by the Modern American Music Program at the Longy School of Music
Premiere: December 1999 by Alisa Doughty, soprano, Deborah DeWolf-Emery, piano, at Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Trios
Dopo il Duol, Dop il Mal (After Sorrow, After Woe) (2008) 6’
for flute (doubling alto), harp, and hand percussion
Commissioned for MAYA by Edward R. Gilmore and Jennifer Pedraza
Premiere: 4 June 2008 at Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York
The Speaking Tide (2007) 7’
for bass clarinet, cello and piano
Commissioned by the Juilliard School’s ChoreoComp. Choreographed for nine dancers by the Spenser Theberge
Premiere: December 2007 by Robert Walker-Lacomba, bass clarinet, Emily Brausa, cello, and Conor Hanick, piano
at Peter Jay Sharp Theater, New York, New York
Soleil sur Mer (Sun on Sea) (2007) 9’
for clarinet, cello, and piano
Commissioned by Bargemusic in honor of their 30th Anniversary.
Premiere: 29 July 2007 at BargeMusic, Brooklyn, New York by Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet, Nicholas Canellakis, cello, and Steve Beck, piano
"contemplative, lyrical, lilting trio…composed with the understanding of a painter who knows exactly where her picture will be hung.”
-The New York Times
I Wonder as I Wander (2006) 4’
Commissioned by MAYA. Arrangement for flute, harp and percussion of John Jacob Nile’s adaptation of the
Appalachian folk carol, ‘I Wonder as I Wander.’
Released on album MAYA In The Spirit by Perspectives Recordings in 2007
Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello: L'Apothéose d'un Rêve (Apotheosis of a Dream) (2004) 15’
I. Introduction
II. Adagio cantabile, semplice
III. Molto vivo – Misterioso
IV. Andante cantabile – Passionato
V. Misterioso – Adagio cantabile, semplice
Commissioned by pianist Menahem Pressler and the Beaux Arts Trio
Premiere: 16 January 2006 by the Beaux Arts Trio: Menahem Pressler, piano, Daniel Hope, violin and Antonio Meneses, cello at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands with consecutive performances in Groningen and Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Tempête de Sable (Storm of Sand) (2003) 8’
for clarinet, violin and viola
Commissioned by Zefir Brezeanu and Aurélie Entringer
Premiere: April 2003 by Zefir Brezeanu, clarinet, William Harvey, violin, and Aurélie Entringer, viola at Auer Hall at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana
Trio for Violin, Cello, and Double Bass (1998) 9’
Premiere: May 1999 by Alexandra du Bois, violin, Brian Snow, cello, and Mang Wang, double bass, at Pickman Hall
at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts
String Quartets
NEW WORK: String Quartet No. 4 (work in progress)
Premiere date and more info TBA
Lamentu di Maria (Anonymous) (2006) 4’
for String Quartet
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet in 2006. Arrangement of a Sardinian lament originally for men’s choir.
Premiere: 18 May 2007 at the Carriage House Theatre at Villa Montalvo, Saratoga, CA by the Kronos Quartet
Night Songs (Nachtliederen), String Quartet No. 3 (2005) 28’
I. Ontvouwen (Unfolding)
II. Lente en Zomer (Spring and Summer)
III. Stacheldraht (Barbed wire)
IV. Het Denkende Hart (The Thinking Heart)
V. Niet Verzonden Brieven (Unsent Letters)
VI. Zoeklicht (Searchlight)
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet by Deborah and Creig Hoyt in memory of Dr. Wayne Caygill. Inspired by and dedicated to the life of Etty Hillesum (1914-1943)
Premiere: 15 March 2006 by the Kronos Quartet, David Harrington, John Sherba, violins, Hank Dutt, viola, and Jeffrey Zeigler, cello at Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford University and 24 March at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (NY Premiere)
"deeply moved by [Night Songs'] wild, feverish, klezmer-tinged lyricism and almost suffocating closeness." -New York music critic Marion Lignana Rosenberg
"well-made and deeply sincere.” -The New York Times
"driven by strong feeling and by darkly pulsing, Janácek-like melodies." -The New Yorker
String Quartet No 2: Quartet of Images (2003) 7’
Premiere: February 2004 by the Kuttner Quartet, Indiana University’s String Quartet-In-Residence; Shin-Young Kwon, Eriko Tsuchihashi, violins, Daniel Stewart, viola, and Jocelyn Butler, cello, at Ford Hall at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana
String Quartet: Oculus pro oculo totum orbem terrae caecat (2003) 18’
Title is a Latin version of quote by Mahatma Gandhi: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet as part of the first Kronos: Under 30 Project for the Kronos Quartet by the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College; the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation; and the Kronos Performing Arts Association.
Premiere: 5 April 2003 by the Kronos Quartet: David Harrington, John Sherba, violins, Hank Dutt, viola, and Jennifer Culp, cello at the Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
"an impressively sustained essay in musical melancholy" –The Guardian, London
"du Bois' [string quartet] lamented the Iraq war with fragile whale song moans usurped by powerful harmonies, offering an extraordinary interface between traditional and avant-garde, all the more so coming from a twenty-one-year-old." -The New Zealand Herald
"a dramatic highpoint" -The Potsdamer, Germany
"gentle wails and tremolos a la George Crumb then surging into a succession of agitated micro-bursts alternating with contemplative episodes, followed by quasi-minimalistic repetitions." –Chicago Tribune
Quintets
NEW WORK (2012)
for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass with low-C extension (for "Trout" quintet)
Commissioned by the 2012 Savannah Music Festival
Premiere: March 2012 at the Savannah Music Festival by Daniel Hope, violin and other musicians to be announced
Bryant Medley (2007) 9’
for two violins, viola, cello, and double bass
An arrangement commissioned in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant’s songs including ‘Bye Bye, Love,’ ‘Wake Up, Little Susie,’ and ‘All I Wanna do is Dream’
Premiere: 28 September 2007 at Ingram Hall, Nashville, Tennessee
Bruciare Distante (Burning Distant) (2006) 6’
for piano, violin, two cellos and double bass
Commissioned by the Juilliard School and choreographed for eight dancers by Colin Baja.
Premiere: 8 December 2006 at Peter Jay Sharp Theater by Vassilis Varvaresos, piano, Elissa Cassini, violin,
Victoria Bass and Dane Johansen, cello, Andrew Roitstein, double bass, Vince Lee, conductor and eight members
of the Juilliard School’s Dance Division
Night Songs (Nachtliederen) (arranged 2007)
arranged for woodwind quintet
Arrangement Commissioned by The Orchestra of St. Luke’s for their Education Program. Night Songs (Nachtliederen), String Quartet No. 3 (2005), was originally commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by Deborah and Creig Hoyt in memory of Dr. Wayne Caygill.
Performance: May 2007 throughout public schools in New York, Brooklyn and the Bronx
String Quintet, A Requiem for the Living (2001) 17’
for two violins, viola, and two double basses
Premiere: March 2002 by Darko Butorac, conductor, Sarah Hill, Boris Kupesic, violin, Luis Enrique Casal, viola, and Colin Corner, Corey Watson, double bass, at Auer Hall at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana
Orchestra, Concertos and Mixed Ensembles
NEW WORK (2012)
for symphony orchestra
(2 + picc., 2, 2 + bass cl., 2 + contra; 4 4 2 1; timp; perc. strings + bass low-C)
Commissioned by the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop
Premiere: 29 & 30 July 2012 at the 2012 Cabrillo Festival by the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Santa Cruz, California
conducted by Marin Alsop
Within Earth, Wood Grows (2010) 16'
for chamber orchestra and vietnamese dan bau
(2 fl + picc., alto., 2 cl. + bass cl., bsn.; hn; 2 perc.; dan bau; hp.; pno; strings + bass low-C)
Commissioned by the [Arnold] Schoenberg Family Charitable Fund for Southwest
Chamber Music and the Ascending Dragon Music Festival
Premiere: 19 March 2010, at the Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi, Vietnam by Southwest Chamber Music alongside
musicians from Hanoi, Vietnam, Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor
"She has an unerring sense of beauty, and her new score began with the accrual of melody in slow, soft, overlapping layers, the way Mahler did in his most affecting adagios. But also like Mahler, she revealed innocence as always an illusion. In her program notes she spoke of overcoming mental images of Vietnamese afflicted with the results of Agent Orange and of American war veterans wounded in Vietnam or haunted by memories..."
"Sweetness never left her score, but beauty and pain intermingled. A bass line provided a heartbeat, and beguiling melodic lines led through a maze of dead ends. The ending was a stunner – a scream became a spiritual cadence, as if giving thanks for sour, sensuous fruit." -Los Angeles Times
Fanfare (2008)
for symphony orchestra
(2 + picc, 2 2 2; 4 3 2 1; timp.; strings + bass low-C)
Commissioned by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by Randall Craig Fleischer
Premiere: 17 January 2009, Atwood Concert Hall, Anchorage, Alaska conducted by Randall Craig Fleischer
Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra (for 2009-10)
Commissioned by bassist DaXun Zhang
Premiere: TBA
A Requiem for the Living for String Orchestra (2006) 17’
Arrangement commissioned by conductors Darko Butorac and Daniel Stewart. Originally for two violins, viola
and two double basses
Premiere: TBA for 2009
Four Songs of Lorca for soprano and orchestra (2004) 16’
Text by Federico García Lorca
I. Hour of Stars
II. The Return
III. Adelina Out Walking
IV. The Moon Wakes
Luminocity (2004) 7’
For mixed amplified ensemble (2 fl (dbl pic/alto fl) 2 sax (alto/bari), el gtr, bass gtr, perc, vln, vc)
Commissioned by the Bang on a Can Summer Music Institute
Premiere: July 2004 by conductor Dante Anzolini, Patti Monson and Frances Elliot, flutes, Colin MacDonald and Ken Thompson, saxophones, Ross Lafleur, electric guitar, Gregg August, bass guitar, Ian Ding, percussion, Laura Barger, Matthew McCright, pianos, Eric Clark, violin, and Jody Redhage, cello at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCA), North Adams, Massachusetts
Voice
Prologue: The Quechol's Cry (2010) 15'
for large children's choir, prepared piano and string quartet
Commissioned by PALS Children's Chorus
Premiere: 26 March 2011 by PALS Children's Chorus, Alysoun Kegel, conductor and director
Text: from the Nahuatl people, compiled and edited by Alysoun Kegel and Alexandra du Bois
In Beauty, May I Walk (2009) 15'
for women's choir, children's choir, clarinet + bass clarinet, violin, two violas, cello and double bass (with low-C extension)
Text : anonymous from the Navajo Day of the Night Ceremony (healing ceremony)
Commissioned by Paul Meissner for Present Music, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Premiere: 22 November 2009 by the Milwaukee Choral Artists and the Milwaukee Children's Choir at The Cathedral of
St. John, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sharon Hansen and Kevin Stalheim, conductors
"Du Bois' piece is exquisitely constructed of fascinating textures and colors." -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"...evokes nature with Messiaen-like birdsong, and spirit with marvelous overlapping sonorities—a kind of music of the spheres for our own time." -Milwaukee Magazine
"Harmonies gradually became more complex and culminated in ringing clusters, which then gradually dispersed. In a grand, satisfying pattern of calm, rising tension and release, In Beauty, May I Walk, glides to a close on placid open fourths, the equally pure inversion of the perfect fifths.
"In Beauty, dissonance does not equal ugliness. Du Bois voiced and colored her clusters, and the women of the [Milwaukee Choral Artists] tuned them, not to clash but to shimmer golden and glorious. Conductor Sharon Hansen undertsood the music exactly and drew a skilled, ardent reading from her singers and players." -ThirdCoast Digest
In Beauty May I Walk (2008)
for Women’s Choir and Children’s Choir
Text : by anonymous from the Navajo Day of the Night Ceremony
Commissioned by Paul Meissner for Present Music, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Júdica Me (2001) 4’
for SATB a cappella choir
Text: Psalm 42
Commissioned by the La Schola Cantorum Summer Festival
Premiere: July 2001 by the La Schola Cantorum Summer Festival Singers, Paris, France
Four Songs of Lorca for Soprano and Orchestra (2004) 16’
Text: Federico García Lorca
I. Hour of Stars
II. The Return
III. Adelina Out Walking
IV. The Moon Wakes
Our Eyes (2000) 4’
for double SATB a cappella chorus
Text: Michelangelo Buonarroti
Commissioned by the University Chorus and Chamber Singers at the University of Massachusetts at Boston to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the University Chorus in 2000
Premiere: December 2000 by the University Chorus and Chamber Singers conducted by Jeff Rink at the at the Snowden Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts at Boston
Film/Multimedia/Dance
The Speaking Tide (2007) 6’
for bass clarinet, cello and piano
Commissioned by the Juilliard School’s ChoreoComp. Choreographed for nine dancers by the Spenser Theberge.
Premiered December, 2007 at Peter Jay Sharp Theater in New York by members of the Juilliard School’s
Dance and Music Divisions
Bruciare Distante (Burning Distant) (2006) 6’
for piano, violin, two cellos and double bass
Commissioned by the Juilliard School. Choreographed by the Collin Baja for eight dancers
Premiere: 8 December 2006 at Peter Jay Sharp Theater by members of the Juilliard School’s Dance and Music Divisions
