COMPOSITIONS

For commission inquiries please contact Penelope Prime | penelopeprime@gmail.com


2023

WINTER HYMNS

Four songs for treble choir, harp & viola 15”

Commissioned by iSing Silicon Valley Premiere Dec 2, 2023 - St. Mark’s Episcopal - Palo Alto, CA

SKETCH THE ROCKET

inspired by Beethoven’s sketches for String Quartet No. 11 in F minor

Commissioned by New Parnassus & the Morgan Library
Premiere June 7, 2023 - NYC, NY


HOUSE OF BELONGING

Poem by David Whyte
SATB

Commissioned by Conspirare - directed by Craig Hella Johnson
Premiere March 31, 2023 - Austin, TX


 

STAY WITH ME

inspired by Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 131

SATB with string quartet Commissioned by Conspirare - directed by Craig Hella Johnson, featuring the Miró Quartet

Premiere October 7, 2022 - Austin, TX

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND

12 songs re-arranged for string quintet, drums & piano

Strange Beautiful Music with New Music Detroit Ensemble Premiere September 17, 2022 - Detroit, MI

TITRATION

17 songs for SATB with glockenspiel

Commissioned by The Crossing - conducted by Donald Nally & Conspirare - conducted by Craig Hella Johnson
Premiere August 5, 2022 - Big Sky, Montana

Album release April 28th, 2023 on Navona Records

2022

 

Infinite Movement

with libretto by Matthew Ritchie

Treble Choir, SATB choir, Brass Quintet, Trombone Quintet, Percussion, Countertenor, Baritone, Mezzo & Coloratura Soprano soloists with Electronics

Commissioned by the University of North Texas

Premiere Nov 3, 2021

A Rhododendron's Bloom

Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Piano, Vibraphone. 7m

Commissioned for The Great Smoky Mountains National Park tour by Grand Valley State University & the NEA. 

Premiere July 2021

Every Name - Brooklyn Youth Chorus

SSAA, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion 4m8s

Commissioned for the full length program of She Is Called

Premiered online due to COVID-19

The Invisible College: Color Confinement

A multi-part transmedia artwork by Matthew Ritchie.

Part of the MIT symposium “Unfolding Intelligence: The Art and Science of Contemporary Computation”

Premiered April 6–May 3, 2021

YouTube Link

Ocean Body: a four screen film installation.

2 soloists, SSAA Choir, Harp, Drums, & Electronics.

Written and composed by Helga Davis and Shara Nova, performing in an embodied sculpture by Annica Cuppetelli. Filmed and directed by Mark DeChiazza.

Commissioned by The Knight Foundation & Creative Futures residency at UNC with The Mellon Foundation, ProtoTYPE Festival and with the additional support of Mass MOCA and The Hermitage Greenfield Prize.

Performances:  ProtoTYPE Festival in NYC Jan. 2021, West Coast Black Theater in Sarasota, FL April 2021, Current Art Space in Chapel Hill, NC April, 2021, The Momentary in Bentonville, AR August 2021. Tickets for the exhibition at Wasserman Gallery in Detroit are available now.

2021

 

TAPP - Carm

Released November 18, 2020 via 37d03d Records

Composed by Shara Nova, CJ Camerieri, and Ryan Olson

TRY / Tratar de Transformar

SATB Choir, Acoustic Guitar, Drums 4m59s

Featuring Cantus Domus, soloist Lisa Korsch, and Gaby Moreno

All proceeds go to Kids In Need of Defense

Let a Change Come

Soprano, Harp 3m57s

Commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra

Premiere rescheduled for June 2020

Did You See That Butterfly

Voice, Guitar 3m41s

Commissioned by Bang on a Can

Premiere postponed due to Covid-19

Mother of the Air - Shara Nova & Joel Shearer

Voice and drones 12m

Premiered on May 8, 2020 via The Met Museum

Every Name - Brooklyn Youth Chorus

SSAA, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion 4m8s

Commissioned for the full length program of She Is Called

Premiere postponed due to COVID-19

2020

 

Look Around - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Orchestra with 20 local ensembles including nine choirs (SSAA, SATB, TTBB), Bell Choir, Marching Band, Stationary Percussion in multiple locations.

Includes 34 songs for choirs, 40 minutes of orchestral music, and interactive works for marching band. 3h20m

Directed by & created with Mark DeChiazza

Say Her Name - Detroit Women’s Chorus

A capella SSAA. Dedicated to Sandra Bland.

3m30s to infinity 

2019

 

2018

 

A Million And One - My Brightest Diamond

Voice, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizers, Drums & Drum Programming. 36m

If I Say That You’re My Sister

SSAA, Percussion, Vibraphone. 3m33s

Commissioned by Amherst College

Santa Ageda - Women’s Choir & Jessica Dessner

SSAA Choir & percussion. 3m50s

All Mine - Lilith

Voice, Viola, Clarinet, Synthesizer, Piano, Vibraphone. 4m18s

 

The Blue Hour

Text from "On Earth" by Carolyn Forché

Soprano and String Orchestra. 1h13m

Composed in collaboration with Sarah Kirkland Snider, Angelica Négron, Shara Nova, Rachel Grimes and Caroline Shaw. 

Co-commissioned and premiered on Nov. 4, 2017 at Washington Performing Arts, in Washington, DC and co-commissioned by Bucknell University, University of Iowa's Hancher Performances and Florida State University. afarcry.org

Silent Voices - Brooklyn Youth Chorus

Blind to the Illness - SSAA, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Violin, Cello, Bass, Piano, Vibraphone, Percussion. 4m10s

Let Freedom Ring

SSAA, Bass Drums, Triangles. 4m11s

Narcissister Organ Player

"Song for Narcissister" - a capella voice. 2m5s

Requiem for a Tuesday - Helga Davis, Davóne Tines, PUBLIQuartet

“Every Life / Questions” - two songs for Mezzo Soprano, Bass Baritone, String Quartet. 5m44s

Roses - Shara Nova & Suzanne Bocanegra

Alto voice, Autoharp, Kick Drum, Electronics 3m28s

Two Lovers - Nordic Voices

SATB (includes overtone singing) , Percussion. 11m

Libretto

Premiere Feb. 1, 2017

2017

 

The Colorado - Roomful of Teeth, Glenn Kotche, Jeffery Zeigler

“Welcome to the Anthropocene” - 8 voices, cello, drum kit 6m27s

“An Unknown Distance Yet to Run” - 8 voices, cello, drum kit 4m36s

Premiered on April 12, 2016 in Houston, TX

Timeline - So Percussion

Ten songs for Voice, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion. 42m

Premiere at McCullough Theater, Austin, TX

This is My Detroit - New Music Detroit

Violin, Cello, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Piano, Vibraphone, Drums, Recorded Text 4m33s

2016

 

You Us We All - Shara Nova, Andrew Ondrejcak, B.O.X.

Soprano, Mezzo, Countertenor, Baritone, Harpsichord, Organ, Harp, 2 Cornetti, Sackbutt, Viola da Gamba, Treble viol/viola da Gamba, Violone, Vibraphone, Drum Kit. 1h12m

Michelberger Carols

Three songs for SSAA choir. 11m19s

2015

 

2014

This Is My Hand - My Brightest Diamond

Voice, Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Alto Sax, Trumpet/ French Horn, Trombone, Bass, Drums, Keyboards. 46m

River of Fundament - Jonathan Bepler

“I Bequeath Myself to the Dirt” - voice, string quartet 3m

Lost/Found - Clara Schumann Youth Choir

Six songs for SSAA choir, Percussion. 21m55s

Commissioned for and premiered at The Schumann Festival in May 2014

 

Baroque - Nadia Sirota

“From the Invisible to the Visible” - Viola, Organ or Synthesizer. 4m11s

The Pleiades - Young New Yorkers Chorus

Five songs for SATB choir. 14m5s

Premiered at the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul in New York, NY

Muted

Soprano, Countertenor, SSAA choir. 3m31s

Premiered for the Radiale Vokalnacht at Radialsystem Berlin, DE on Dec. 7, 2013 

Music for Marching Band

Three pieces for The Detroit Party Marching Band. 9m22s

2013

 

Kings of Macedonia - A play with music by Andrew Ondrejak

6 soloists, with SATB Choir, Brass Quartet, Drums. 29m

Premiered at The Kitchen (May 2012) & Prelude Festival (Oct. 2012)

Pyramid Songs - Brooklyn Youth Chorus

Three songs for SSAA choir. 8m38s

Chalk & Soot - Shara Nova & Colin Jacobson

String Quartet. 3m

Commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”

Premiered on July 30, 2014 at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA

2012

 

All Things Will Unwind - My Brightest Diamond

Voice, String Trio, Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Trumpet/French Horn, Drums, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass. 42m

Beautiful Mechanical - yMusic

“A Whistle, A Tune, A Macaroon” - Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Cello, Viola, Violin 3m4s

“A Paper, A Pen, A Note to A Friend” - Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Cello, Viola, Violin 2m8s

2011

 

Letters from Charles - yMusic

Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Violin, Viola, Cello

Thirteen songs for chamber ensemble. 43m

Premiered at 92nd Street Y in Tribeca, NY 

Birds Undress - Shara Nova & Allison Carter

Tenor voice, Piano. 3m

Commissioned by Linda and Stuart Nelson for the premiere on November 17, 2010 at MATA Festival 

2010

 

A Thousand Shark’s Teeth - My Brightest Diamond

Voice, String Quartet, Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, French Horn, Marimba, Harp, Drums, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards. 46m

2008

 

Bring Me The Workhorse - My Brightest Diamond

Voice, String Quartet, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Wurlitzer, Vibraphone, Celesta, Music box, Piano, Pump Organ, Electronic Keyboard, Trumpet. 46m

2006