A LETTER FROM A MOTHER TO HER SON (2018)

Music by John Grimmett
Original text by Jason Carlson
Commissioned by Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra (Dominique Royem, conductor)

“John has a clear, expressive style that is suited to expressive, emotional storytelling.”

— conductor Dominique Royem to the Houston Chronicle, September 26, 2016

ELEPHANT IN THE DARK (2017)

Music by Joel Love
Original text by John Grimmett
Commissioned by Panoramic Voices (Brent Baldwin, conductor)

Choral work for cantus, SATB choir, and orchestra based on religious writings, quotes, and original poetry. This piece was commissioned to be a prelude/companion piece to the Bach Mass in B Minor. The title is taken from a traditional story as told by the Sufi mystic, Rumi. In the parable, several men are asked to identify an elephant in a darkened room purely by feel. Each man identifies a piece of the animal accurately from his perspective, but all fail to recognize the whole. The moral of the story is that all perspectives have significance and are important in recognizing the whole. (Description adapted by program notes by the composer)

The Elephant in the Dark was commissioned by Panoramic Voices in 2017. The Elephant in the Dark is a piece about religious (in)tolerance. Originally, this piece was loosely commissioned as a prelude/companion piece to the Bach B Minor Mass. I originally settled on composing a modern-day “introit,” similar in utility to Medieval chants that served a similar purpose: to play the role of harbinger for what is to come in the Mass. The central figure of any Mass is Jesus Christ, and there is a great deal of prophesy in the Old Testament that begs the reader to not be afraid. As I sketched, I read texts from other religions and had a number of conversations with friends about their worldviews on society’s current level of fear and how it relates to their religion. The name of the piece is taken from a traditional eastern story as told by the Sufi mystic, Rumi. In the parable, several men are tasked with identifying an animal by jutting their hands into a darkened room to feel, rather than seeing the animal as a whole. Each identifies a piece of the elephant accurately from their perspective, but all fail to recognize the whole. The moral of the story is that all perspectives have significance and are an important part in recognizing the whole. The elephant symbolizes God in the story, and each person their own worldview and perhaps religion. My piece utilizes religious writings similar to the how the parts of the elephant are used in the story. The whole work is framed by a poem by my friend, John Grimmett, called “Sonnet for Insanity.” It engages with how difficult an argument with another person can be; pride sometimes wins out and we fail to see the underlying truth in one another’s perspective. Interspersed before and after first stanza are two brief mélanges of three religious texts. The first set are admonitions about listening to God, release of fear, and the tolerance of other religions from the Qur’an, Bible, and Bhagavad Gita, respectively. The second set of texts are set like an argument between the three soloists. Each soloist plays the role of spokesperson for a culture, singing texts from different religions in the original language and the choir serves to unify the underlying message, singing all the text to the Grimmet poem. The final quote of the piece is culled from a speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and serves to summate the work.

ENOUGH (2017)

Music and words by John Grimmett
Commissioned by Nate Mattingly (bass-baritone)

Song cycle for bass-baritone and piano based on original poetry.

I. A thought at midnight
II. A beloved maple
III. Art
IV. Communion
V. Enough

FREEDOM SONGS (2016-2017)

Music by John Grimmett
Texts from African-American spirituals, Mary Matsuzawa, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, and David Rosenthal.

Song cycle for soprano and piano based on texts both influencing and influenced by the American condition.

I. Balm in Gilead (African-American Spiritual) / My Plea (Matsuzawa)
II. Uptown One (Grimmett)
III. Democracy (Hughes)
IV. Nobody Knows The Trouble (African-American Spiritual) / Title Divine (Dickinson)
V. Sonnet to Liberty (Wilde)
VI. Trees Need Not Walk the Earth (Rosenthal)

FURNITURE SONGS (2017)

Music by Daniel Zajicek
Words by John Grimmett

Song cycle for bass-baritone and piano that examines a man's relationship with his bedroom furniture over the course of his life.

I. The telephone
II. The mirror
III. Underneath the bed
IV. Teddy
V. The old dresser (words by Daniel Zajicek)

Mark Diamond sings Clint Borzoni's "To Belong," arranged for baritone, cello and piano. Performed with Musica Marin on Feb. 4, 2017 in Belvedere, CA. Words by John Grimmett.

To BELONG (2017)

Music by Clint Borzoni
Words by John Grimmett
Premiered on February 4, 2017 by Musica Marin and the Merola Opera Program

Song cycle for baritone, cello, and piano consisting of short poems that ask more questions than they answer.

I. To belong
II. Fatal attraction
III. Night promise
IV. Come back to me
V. A verse for Nikko
VI. Famous last words

REGRETS ONLY (2016)

Music and words by John Grimmett
Commissioned by Ann Moss (soprano) and Emil Miland (cello)
Premiered on February 27, 2016 at Live at Mission Blue, Brisbane, CA.

Song cycle for soprano and cello based on major life events for which one might receive a greeting card or written note. The texts are original and range from the humorous (an evite-inspired RSVP request) to the light-hearted (a child's letter to the tooth fairy) to the stark (a "Dear John" letter to an ex-lover) to the profound (a self-penned obituary of a woman diagnosed with cancer).

FINITE DIFFERENCES (2015-16)

Libretto by John Grimmett
Music by Kenneth Froelich
Commissioned by Ann Moss (soprano) and the Hausmann Quartet.
Premiered at California State University, Fresno on October 26, 2016

Song cycle for soprano and string quartet based on the life of Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer.

I. My Father’s Daughter
II. The Machine
III. Seen and Heard, Heard But Not Listened To
IV. Finite Differences
V. Discovering the Light
VI. On Rejection from Charles Babbage
VII. Behind Closed Doors
VIII. On a Visit from Charles Dickens

High and low (2013)

Music by Liam Wade
Text by John Grimmett and Edna St. Vincent Millay
Commissioned by Jennifer Piazza-Pick (soprano) and Cheryl Cellon Lindquist (piano)
Premiered in September 2013

Song cycle for soprano and piano with poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay and John Grimmett.

I. Afternoon on a Hill (Millay)
II. distance is crueler than the coldest february (Grimmett)
III. Wraith (Millay)
IV. Only Until This Cigarette Has Ended (Millay)

BENEATH THE ROSES (2013)

Music by John Grimmett
Commissioned by Meghann Bronson (choreographer)

A chamber ballet for piano trio inspired by the work of same name by photographer Gregory Crewdson. Performed at The Secret Theatre (August 2013) and Peridance Capezio Center (September 2013).