My new composition LIGHT AWAKEN for alto sax, flute, violin, piano, percussion and robotic arm was premiered on March 23rd at the UNLV Nextet concert.
Shawna Pennock (alto sax); Lauren Zwonik-Stutz (flute); Weiwei Le (violin); Jennifer Bellor (piano); Gabriela Ordoñez-Villalobos (vibraphone/suspended cymbal); “Theo” the robotic arm (cymbals); Phil Joy (mechatronics engineer); Tim Warren (conductor)
While composing Light Awaken, I was inspired by the motion and sound the robotic arm
makes. I imagined a beautiful, melodic composition that includes the sweeping motion and sound of the robotic arm paired with saxophone multiphonics, flute wind tones, and violin harmonics. Phil Joy built the robotic arm that inspired this entire composition, and we call it, “Theo.”
The piece was written to include a robotic arm(s) on stage to perform alongside the live performers. However, the piece can still be performed without a robotic arm.