Albums

About the pieces in Collage

“The Journey” was inspired by the great New Age composers such as Yanni and George Winston, whose works I spent many hours transcribing, learning and playing during my formative years. The title reflects my personal journey–I have written, learned and performed so many different styles of music but I still hold a great love for piano music in this style.

“Another Chance” was inspired by stories of people from all backgrounds who have fought and conquered various forms of addiction. It is dedicated to a personal friend who has been sober for 3 years after 40 years of struggling with substances. My hope with this piece is that inspires all of us to both give ourselves “Another Chance” to conquer anything we struggle with, as well as to give our loved ones who may have hurt or wronged us “Another Chance.”

“Expansive Spirit” was inspired by the feeling you get when you are in a large natural setting with extreme beauty. My family lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest–I get this feeling when I visit Mt. Rainier or drive through I-90 on the way to Eastern Washington. We visited Tucson, Arizona this year and I felt this way when hiking amongst thousands of saguaro cacti in the rolling hills. Experiencing this sort of natural beauty inspires me to be bolder, more expansive, take more risks.

“Missing You” was inspired by the memory of my mother-in-law as we prepared to lay her to rest with her Italian immigrant parents in upstate New York. The simple melody and structure is meant to reflect the fact that the day-to-day interactions and simple pleasures (conversations, meals, walks, board games, etc. ) with family and other loved ones are the things that really matter.

“Looking Ahead” is a jazz ballad. I have always loved jazz ballad-style pieces with simple melodies and colorful chords, probably because I grew up with the great American Songbook, and spent many hours in front of the piano playing classic musicals. My recent jazz piano lessons have given me access to more colorful harmonies which I used in this piece.

About the Pieces

“Lapis” is a melodic piece with jazz chords and a stride style accompaniment. It is intended to evoke the color of the sky just before dawn. 

“Sunburst” was inspired by the colors of dawn: that unique mix of pink, orange and yellow in the sky. 

“Emerald” was nicknamed “Peaceful E Flat” until I realized that emerald was the perfect mix of dark and light shades of green. 

“Amber” was inspired by my love of the distinctive features of this stone. Sometimes clear, sometimes muddy, sometimes with layers of texture. Always mysterious. 

“Graphite” is in honor of J. S. Bach. I chose this title because the mood is quite dark and steely, yet there are hints of sparkle, just like in the stone. 

“Fuchsia” represents the huge variety of blossoms. Red, pink, purple, mixed. Big, robust, thin, delicate. Appropriate for the many moods of this piece. 

“Alabaster” started out with twice as many notes. Now, it is more still and peaceful, reminding me of the beautiful art made using this white mineral. 

“Cobalt” is the same melody as “Lapis” but with a flowing accompaniment figure. It is intended to depict the sky at the end of the day, just as the stars start emerging.