Oscillation no. 1: Quarks [Prologue] draws on the restless, energetic dance of subatomic particles which are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Shimmering textures, rapid gestures, and playful contrasts evoke a world of constant motion, where particles flicker in and out of existence and fleeting interactions continually reshape the quantum landscape. Inspired by the mercurial exchanges of quarks and gluons, this Oscillation evokes the flitting, ephemeral interplay that animates the heart of physical existence.

5 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 2:15

Quarks [Prologue] is from Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 3: Zygote follows the fragile passage of a fertilized egg as it drifts through a mammalian fallopian tube, dividing and reshaping itself into a nascent blastocyst. Searching melodies trace this precarious early journey, where each moment carries both promise and risk. Unmoored from certainty, the phrases grow in heft as they edge forward toward possible arrival, never fully knowing whether a place to take hold will be found. The tenuous motion of the dividing cells represents life beginning as a question, balanced delicately between becoming and disappearing.

5 pages of music Performance duration approximately 3:15

Zygote is from Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 4: The Kelp Forest represents the slow, out-of-phase undulations of giant kelp fronds swaying through ocean currents. Lapping, interwoven patterns create a sense of tranquil suspension, inviting the listener to sink into the fluid motion. As the piece unfolds, its calm surface is stirred by a surging middle section, where rhythmic swells and heightened energy mirror the shifting temperament of vast water. One of the few Oscillations set on the scale of human perception, it luxuriates in the graceful, living beauty of this underwater world, returning in the end with radiant vigor as a reminder to enjoy the transient observation of the magnificent.

5 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 4:00.

The Kelp Forest is from Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 6: Oxytocin follows the diffusion of this neurotransmitter as it courses through neural networks, triggering sensations of love and attachment. Searching melodies and luminous harmonies mirror the narcotic pull of these involuntary signals, feeling both irresistible and profound. Unmoored from a stable key, the phrases move towards possible resolution, finding unexpected places to light. The movement of this molecule is a window into how the imperceptible can transform and consume our inner realities.

4 pages of original sheet music. Performance duration approximately 3:20

Oxytocin is from Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 8: The Gravitational Pull Between Two Distant Galaxies sets the scene of two distant galaxies, each massive and complete in itself, that are tethered in a quiet gravitational relationship, orbiting each other in a slow dance. The low bass and high treble portray the two star systems, while the space between them is filled by a slowly unfolding chordal melody shared between the hands. In the middle section, time becomes free and the music drifts, a meditation on the quiet beauty of two bodies moving together through the cosmos. Neither galaxy is diminished by the other; instead, their connection creates something new, a delicate and beautiful relationship within the vast universe.

Five pages of music. Performance duration approximately 3:20

From Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 9: Black Hole represents the inexorable pull toward gravity's ultimate endpoint: a region of spacetime so profoundly curved that nothing, not even light, can escape once it has crossed the event horizon. The opening traces the slow, unavoidable descent into the black hole's immense gravitational well, where each phrase draws the listener closer to complete annihilation. At its center, fleeting melodic visitations from Quarks, Light Part I, and Zygote emerge like fragments of memory before matter itself is torn apart, as molecules and atoms are ripped from their bonds by overwhelming forces. In the aftermath of this total destruction, a single photon escapes through the improbable phenomenon of quantum tunneling, offering the faintest suggestion that even in the universe's darkest abyss, mystery remains.

6 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 3:00.

From Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

In contrast to the discrete gestures of Light Part I, the music of Light Part II unfolds in a continuous, flowing current, evoking the wave-like behavior of light. The photon from the previous Oscillation, having escaped the gravitational pull of the black hole, now travels unimpeded across the cosmos, joining the countless other waves of light moving through the universe. Freed from its point of origin, it carries no image of the past, but continues onward toward an unknown and luminous future.

9 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 4:00

From Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Oscillation no. 11: Space Expanding Ever Outward: Emerging from the singularity of Black Hole, and the joyful freedom of Light Part II, the final oscillation turns outward to the ever-expanding universe. A solitary photon, now joined by countless others, travels through a cosmos that has continued to stretch since the Big Bang. Spacious harmonies and a gentle, continuous momentum evoke the tireless energy of light moving through an increasingly vast expanse. As the cycle comes to a close, the focus shifts from individual vignettes of unpredictable forces to the limitless openness of space itself, where the horizon continues to recede beyond imagination.

6 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 2:50

From Bodies in Motion: 11 Oscillations from the Observable Universe, a series of piano solos inspired by the many ways movement shapes our universe, from the smallest particles to the largest cosmic phenomena. Each piece captures a different kind of motion, inviting listeners to reflect on our place in a beautiful and volatile cosmos.

Dust Motes captures the glinting capriciousness of airborne particles as they drift and swirl through shafts of light, flickering in and out of perception. The piece begins in an atmospheric hush, where delicate motives float and shimmer like suspended specks. Gradually, the texture coalesces with gathering energy, transforming the ephemeral into something weighty and insistent before dissipating again into a sparse refrain.

5 pages of original music. Performance duration approximately 3:20

A set of seven progressive piano solos that are designed to inspire early elementary through early intermediate level piano students. This collection was commissioned by the Santa Fe Music Teachers Association.

Song list:

1. Twilight Song of the Great Horned Owl
2. Mischievous Bobcats
3. The Orb Weaver Spider Spins a Web Late into the Night
4. Sleeping Bats and Dripping Stalactites
5. Lone Coyote Blues
6. Roadrunner Etude
7. Mountain Lion Chase Through the Canyon

The set contains 18 pages of original sheet music inspired by the animals and wildlife of the mountain deserts of the southwest.