Works List

ORCHESTRAL

Flute Concerto (2019) for flute and orchestra

Commissioned by the British Symphonova

Instrumentation: solo flute, strings and percussion

Premiere: TBA

Duration: 24′

Solar Flare (2014) for orchestra

Commissioned by the Idyllwild Arts Academy

Instrumentation: 2220 2200 3 perc pf strings

Premiere: May 3, 2014, Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra, conducted by Peter Askim

Duration: 13′

Water Colors (2009) for orchestra
Instrumentation: 3333 4331 timp 3perc hp pf strings
Premiere: May 10, 2010, American Composers Orchestra, conducted by George Manahan
Duration: 9′

The Yellow Wind (2005) for narrator, soloists and orchestra with texts by David Grossman, Shaul Tchernichovsky, Natan Alterman, Natan Yonatan and Mahmoud Darwish
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2 female vocalists (Israeli and Palestinian), ney solo, narrator; 2222 4221 5perc (2 middle eastern perc) hp pf strings
Premiere: May 15, 2005, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 45′
Critical praise:
Click here to read related article in the New York Times

Cliff (2005) concerto for string quintet and orchestra
Commissioned by the Penn State University Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2vns solo, vla solo, vc solo, cb solo; 3333 4331 timp 3perc hp pf strings
Premiere: Dec 6, 2005, Penn State University Philharmonia, conducted by Gerardo Edelstein
Duration: 13′

Gloss III (2004) for narrator and orchestra (for children concert)
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: narrator; 2222 2211 2perc pf strings
Premiere: April 20, 2004, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 14′

Gloss II (2003) for narrator and orchestra (for children concert)
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: narrator; 2222 2200 1perc strings
Premiere: April 16, 2003, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 10′

Gloss I (2002) for narrator and orchestra (for children concert)
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Premiere: April 17, 2002, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 7′

An orchestral arrangement for La Muerte Del Angel by Astor Piazzolla (2001)
Commissioned by the Penn’s Wood Festival

Instrumentation: full orchestra
Premiere: June, 1999, Penn’s Wood’s Festival Orchestra, conducted by Gerardo Edelstein
Duration: 7′

Altitude for orchestra (2000)
Commissioned by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2222 2210 timp 3perc hp pf strings
Premiere: February 17, 2000, conducted by Gerardo Edelstein
Duration: 29′

SOLO WITH ENSEMBLE/ORCHESTRA

Facing the Automaton (2021) for percussion solo, interactive kinetic sculpture, and chamber ensemble

Commissioned by the La Jolla SumerFest

Instrumentation: solo percussion, interactive kinetic sculpture, clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass

Premiere: August 19, 2021, Steve Schick – percussion, La Jolla SummerFest

Duration: 23’

Flute Concerto (2019) for solo flute, strings and percussion

Commissioned by the British Symphonova

Instrumentation: solo flute, strings and percussion

PremiereL TBD

Duration: 24’

Walk The Labyrinth (2016) – a concerto for saxophone, viola and orchestra

Commissioned by the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.

Instrumentation: solo viola, solo saxophone and orchestra

Premiere: February 16, 2016, Timothy Deighton – viola, Carrie Koffman – saxophone, and the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.

Duration: 22’

Biss – for bassoon and string quartet (2015)
Commissioned by Uzi Shalev of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Instrumentation: solo bassoon and string quartet
Premiere: August 15, 2015, members of the Israel Philharmonic – Uzi Shalev – bassoon, Asaf Maoz and Nitzan Canetty – violins, Matan Noussimovitch – viola and Yotam Baruch – cello.

Duration: 7’

The Yellow Wind (2005) for narrator, soloists and orchestra with texts by David Grossman, Shaul Tchernichovsky, Natan Alterman, Natan Yonatan and Mahmoud Darwish

Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2 female vocalists, ney solo, narrator; 2222 4221 5perc (2 ethnic perc) hp pf strings
Premiere: May 15, 2005, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 45′
Critical praise: Click here to read related article in the New York Times

Cliff (2005) concerto for string quintet and orchestra
Commissioned by the Penn State University Philharmonia
Instrumentation: 2vn solo, vla solo, vc solo, cb solo; 3333 4331 timp 3perc hp pf strings
Premiere: Dec 6, 2005, Penn State University Philharmonia, conducted by Gerardo Edelstein
Duration: 14′

Gloss II (2003) for narrator and orchestra
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: narrator; 2222 2200 1perc strings
Premiere: April 16, 2003, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 10′

Gloss I (2002) for narrator and orchestra
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra

Instrumentation: narrator; 2222 2200 1perc strings
Premiere: Premiere: April 17, 2002, conducted by Paul Lustig Dunkel
Duration: 7′

Darkness and Beauty (2001)—a mini opera for soprano, two alto and ensemble
Instrumentation: three female voices (soprano and two alto), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, 2vns, viola, cello and bass
Premiere (partially): MATA Festival, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, conducted by Lorraine Vaillancourt
Duration: 15′

CHORUS

One Earth (2022) for rapper, tabla, string quintet and treble chorus

Instrumentation: rapper, tabla, string quintet and treble chorus

Commissioned by Close Encounters With Music

Premiere: November 6, 2022, Close Encounters With Music

Duration: 25′

CHAMBER

The Banned (2022) for piano trio, marching machine and soundtrack

Commissioned by Ensemble Pi

Instrumentation: violin, cello, piano and marching machine

Premiere: May 15, 2023, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Duration: 7 min.

Back To The Ocean (2020) – for clarinet, string quartet and optional drum set

Commissioned by the Jo-Ann Sternberg and the Snow Pond Center for the Arts

Instrumentation: clarinet, string quartet and optional drum set

Premiere: June 15, 2021

Duration: 16′

I Am Here To Hear What I Have To Say (2017) – for piano trio

Commissioned by the Close Encounters With Music for the celebration of the 100 anniversary of women’s suffrage.

Instrumentation: violin, cello and piano
Premiered: May 16, 2017, Peter Zazovsky – violin, Yehuda Hanani – cello and Renana Gutman – piano

Duration: 3’

They Are Mine (2017) – for piano solo

Commissioned by pianist Gila Goldstein

Instrumentation: solo piano

Premiere: May 7, 2017, Loewe Theatre, New York University’s Steinhardt School.

Duration: 5’

Farewell Letters To The Beloved One (2014) for soprano and string quartet
Commissioned by the Colorado String Quartet
Instrumentation: soprano and string quartet
Premiere: February 28, 2013, Lucy Shelton (soprano) and the Colorado String Quartet
Duration: 30′

Where Do We Belong – a conversation With Bach (2014) for violin and piano

Commissioned by Julie Rosenfeld and the University of Missouri.

Instrumentation: violin and piano

Premiere: March 30, 2017, Julie Rosenfeld and Peter Miyamoto, University of Missouri

Duration: 10’30”

I Am Here To Hear What I Have To Say (2017) – for piano trio
Commissioned by the Close Encounters With Music for the celebration of the 100 anniversary of women’s suffrage.
Premiere: June 8, 2017, Close Encounters With Music – Peter Zazovsky – violin, Yehuda Hanani – cello and Renana Gutman – piano.

Duration: 3’

Shout (2012) for clarinet and marimba
Commissioned by Richard Stoltzman and Mika Yoshida Stoltzman
Instrumentation: clarinet and marimba
Premiere: Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) and Mika Yoshida Stoltzman (marimba)
Duration: 11′

Argaman (2010) for piano trio
Commissioned by the Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival
Instrumentation: violin, cello and piano
Premiere: Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival – Sheryl Staples (viloin), Wilhelmina Smith (cello) Benjamin Hochman (piano)
Duration: 12′

Tzafuf Bazug (2009)—a song cycle for soprano and piano quartet with text by David Grossman
Commissioned by the Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival
Instrumentation: soprano, violin, viola, cello and piano
Premiere: August 18, 2009, Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival – Lucy Shelton (soprano), Jennifer Koh (violin), Hsin Yun Huang (viola), Wilhelmina Smith (cello), Benjamin Hochman (piano)
Duration: 30′

Falling Leaves (2008)—music for the silent black and white film (1912) by Alice Guy Blache
Commissioned by the New York Whitney Museum
Premiered by Erin Keffe (violin), Whilhelmina Smith (cello) and Pedja Muzijevic (piano)
Duration: 15′
Critical praise: “…For Tamar Muskal, that would have been a half-measure: of all composers, she went furthest to reach Blache’s turf, providing gracefully melodic, neo-romantic scores for the sentimental “Falling Leaves” (1912) and “Roads Lead Home” (1913).” — Allan Kozin, The NY Times

Roads Lead Home (2008)—music for the silent black and white film (1912) by Alice Guy Blache
Commissioned by the New York Whitney Museum
Premiered by Erin Keffe (violin), Whilhelmina Smith (cello) and Pedja Muzijevic (piano)
Duration: 15′
Critical praise: “…For Tamar Muskal, that would have been a half-measure: of all composers, she went furthest to reach Blache’s turf, providing gracefully melodic, neo-romantic scores for the sentimental “Falling Leaves” (1912) and “Roads Lead Home” (1913).” — Allan Kozin, The NY Times

Mar De Leche (2008) for cello, our and two ethnic percussionists
Commissioned by Maya Beiser and Carnegie Hall
Instrumentation: cello, our and two ethnic percussionists
Premiere: June 22, 2008, Maya Beiser (cello), Bassam Saba (oud) and Jamey Haddad and Shane Shanahan (percussion)
Duration: 15′

Mirrors (2007) – a multimedia piece for ensemble, live camera and digital/interactive videos by Daniel Rozin
Commissioned by the Eighth Blackbird Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano
Premiere: October 23, 2007, Eighth Blackbird Ensemble
Duration: 20′

Mechanofin (2006) for flute and piano
Commissioned by Paul Dunkel
Instrumentation: flute and piano
Premiere: Paul Dunkel and Peter Basquin
Duration: 16′

Dmamah (2001) for flute, cello and piano
Commissioned by Music From Copland House Ensemble
Instrumentation: flute, cello and piano
Premiere: December 19, 2001, Paul Dunkel (flute), Wilhelmina Smith (flute) and Michael Boriskin (piano)
Duration: 13′

Darkness and Beauty (2001)—a mini opera for soprano, two alto and ensemble
Instrumentation: three female voices (soprano and two alto), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and bass
Premiere (partially): MATA Festival, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, conducted by Lorraine Vaillancourt
Duration: 15′

Six Reviews From Zagat (2000)
Instrumentation: mixed vocal ensemble and piano
Premiere: May, 2000, Brooklyn Collage
Duration: 6′

In Pairs (1999) for percussion quartet
Commissioned by Ethos Percussion Group
Instrumentation: Percussion Quartet
Premiere: March, 2000 Ethos Percussion Group, Carnegie Hall
Duration: 16′

Sounds From Jerusalem (1998) for one piano/four hands
Commissioned by Einat Fabrikant and Noam Greenberg
Instrumentation: One piano and four hands
Premiere: May, 1998, Einat Fabrikant and Noam Greenberg

Countdown (1997) for clarinet, viola and piano
Commissioned by Amos Boazson
Instrumentation: clarinet, viola and piano
Premiere: June, 1998, Meghan Stoops (clarinet), Daniel Panner (viola) and Lisa Moore (piano)
Duration: 14′

Harold And The Purple Crayon (1997) for ensemble and animation film
Commissioned by the Norfolk Music Festival
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano and animation film
Premiere: August, 1997 by Eighth Blackbird Ensemble
Duration: 12′

String Quartet No. 2 (1997)
Instrumentation: amplified string quartet, mixer and four loudspeakers
Duration: 10′

String Quartet No. 1 (1997)
Instrumentation: string quartet
Duration: 18′
Premiere: May 1997, by Yale School of Music students

Phases Of The Moon (1996) for ensemble
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, trumpet, trombone violin, cello and bass
Premiere: by Yale School of Music students
Duration: 9′

SOLOS

Le chapeau – for piano solo (2018)

Instrumentation: solo piano
Commissioned and premiered by pianist Hagai Yodan.

Recording premiere: June 20, 2018

Duration: 1′

In My Heart I am (2022) for piano solo

Commissioned by the Deutscher Musikrat Neustart Kultur Stipendium and Portland State University

Instrumentation: solo piano

Premiere: April 12, 2022, American Academy in Berlin

Duration: 7’

12 Etudes for Clarinet solo/duo (2021)

Commissioned by the Juilliard Music School for the clarinet studios

Instrumentation: solo clarinet/duo clarinets

Duration: 18’

Frederic Variations (2014) for piano solo

Commissioned by the 92Y

Premiere: March 10, 2014, by Benjamin Hochaman

Duration: 17’

Critical praise: “As I listened to the pianist Benjamin Hochman’s sensitive, exciting renditions of four contemporary works that explore the form of theme and variation (including one premiere), I kept thinking that classical music doesn’t get better than this…” — Anthony Tommasini, NY Times

Frederic Variations is mentioned in an article written by Anthony Tommasini, NY Times:

“On one special night, the exciting, inquisitive pianist Benjamin Hochman played a bold program of contemporary theme-and-variations pieces. There were daunting works by Oliver Knussen and Berio, a premiere by Tamar Muskal and, to end, Frederic Rzewski.

Fur Elisa (2011) for piano solo
Commissioned by Lisa Moore
Premiere: Aprill 22, by Lisa Moore
Duration: 7′

Plays Well With Self (2007) for piano solo and four body sensors
Commissioned by the Music With A View concerts series
Premiere: May, 2007 by Anthony De Mare
Duration: 12′

Mourning (1990)
Instrumentation: viola solo
Premiere: 1990, by Amos Boazson
Duration: 7′

VOCAL

Of Love and Sobriety (2016) – a song cycle on text by Stavit Allweis

Instrumentation: two soprano vocalists, viola, cello, piano, continuum, marimba and drum set

Commissioned by ASCAP with the support of the Kingsford Foundation.
Premiered Dec 5, 2016, National Sawdust, Jo Lawry andTammy Scheffer – vocalists, Tamar Muskal – viola, Jeff Ziegler – cello, David Cossin – marimba and drum set and Rob Schwimmer – piano and continuum.

Premiere: Dec 5, 2016, National Sawdust

Duration: 21’

The Yellow Wind (2005) for narrator, soloists and orchestra with texts by David Grossman, Shaul Tchernichovsky, Natan Alterman, Natan Yonatan and Mahmoud Darwish
Commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2 female vocalists, ney solo, narrator; 2222 4221 5perc (2 ethnic perc) hp pf strings
Premiere: May 15, 2005, conducted by Paul Dunkel
Duration: 45′
Critical praise: Click here to read related article in the New York Times

Farewell Letters To The Beloved One (2014) for soprano and string quartet
Commissioned by the Colorado String Quartet
Instrumentation: soprano and string quartet
Premiere: Premiere: February 28, 2013, Lucy Shelton (soprano) and the Colorado String Quartet
Duration: 30′

Tzafuf Bazug (2009)—a song cycle for soprano and piano quartet with text by David Grossman
Commissioned by the Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival
Instrumentation: soprano, violin, viola, cello and piano
Premiere: August, 2009, Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival – Lucy Shelton (soprano), Jennifer Koh (violin), Hsin Yun Huang (viola), Wilhelmina Smith (cello), Benjamin Hochman (piano)
Duration: 30′

Six Reviews From Zagat (2000)
Instrumentation: mixed vocal ensemble and piano< Premiere: 2000, Brooklyn Collage Duration: 6′

MUSIC FOR FILMS AND THEATER

The Sewer (2020) – music for the historic black and white silent film by Alice Guy Blache

Commissioned by Kino Classics

Released on a collection called: Pioneers First Women Filmmakers – Alice Huy Blache Volume 1: The Gaumont Years

2020

La Glu (2020) – music for the historic black and white silent film by Alice Guy Blache

Commissioned by Kino Classics

Released on a collection called: Pioneers First Women Filmmakers – Alice Huy Blache Volume 2: The Solax Years

2020

Le Vanganza De Pancho Villa (2015) – for two Mexican singers, string quartet, soundtrack and film

Commissioned by the National Gallery of Art in Washington

Instrumentation: two LIVE Mexican singers, LIVE string quartet and soundtrack

Premiere: March 24, 2015, National Gallery of Art

55’

Color Of Eyes (2014)—a documentary film about finding the cure for blindness. Directed by Dean Thompson, narrated by Robert Redford

A Wonderful Flat Thing (2012)—a play for children. Directed by Basmat Hazan. Premiered at the New York 14Y

The Last Harvest (2010)—a documentary film about an American family from New Jersey who lost its farm. Directed by Ron Halper.

Falling Leaves (2008)–music for the silent black and white film (1912) by Alice Guy Blache.
Commissioned by the New York Whitney Museum.
Premiered by Erin Keffe (violin), Whilhelmina Smith (cello) and Pedja Muzijevic (piano)
Duration: 15′

Roads Lead Home (2008)–music for the silent black and white film (1912) by Alice Guy Blache.
Commissioned by the New York Whitney Museum
Premiered by Erin Keffe (violin), Whilhelmina Smith (cello) and Pedja Muzijevic (piano)
Duration: 15′

Angels In America (1999) by Tony Kushner—Cincinnati University—commissioned and performed by the Eighth Blackbird Ensemble.

Harold And The Purple Crayon (1997)
Commissioned by the Norfolk Music Festival
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano and animation film
Premiere: August, 1997 by Eighth Blackbird Ensemble
Duration: 12′

The Seven Beggars (1997)—directed by Geula Atar. Premiered at La Mama Theater, New York

Trojan Women (1997)—premiered at Yale University

Christabel (1997)—premiered at Yale University

The Labor Of Life (1995)—by Hanoch Levin. Directed by Geula Atar, premiered at La Mama Theater, New York

Ericsson Mobile Phone (1995)—a four minutes music for the four minutes commercial film about Ericsson mobile phone

MUSIC FOR DANCE

Shinpai Shinaide (2018) – music for an evening length of butoh dance performance.

Commissioned by Blue Cliff Production for choreographer-dancer Yael Gaaton

Premiere May 30, 2018, Abne Scene Godsbanen – Arhus Denmark

Duration: 60’