COMPOSITIONS
For commission inquiries please contact Penelope Prime | penelopeprime@gmail.com
2023
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
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
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
Released November 18, 2020 via 37d03d Records
Composed by Shara Nova, CJ Camerieri, and Ryan Olson
SATB Choir, Acoustic Guitar, Drums 4m59s
Featuring Cantus Domus, soloist Lisa Korsch, and Gaby Moreno
All proceeds go to Kids In Need of Defense
Soprano, Harp 3m57s
Commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra
Premiere rescheduled for June 2020
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
Voice, Viola, Clarinet, Synthesizer, Piano, Vibraphone. 4m18s
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
SSAA, Bass Drums, Triangles. 4m11s
"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
SATB (includes overtone singing) , Percussion. 11m
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
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
“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
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
“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