Beyond The Yellow Road
Valeria
Hernandez Senior Composition Degree Recital April 30th @7:30pm Recital Hall
Musicians
Sophie Andersen- Voice
Keith Beene -Violin
Jackson Bosenbark- Viola
Brandon Davis - Piano/Flute
Emilio Deleon - Percussion
Gabriel Durand-Hollis- Percussion
Erin Faehnle- Percussion
Sarah Hamm- Clarinet
Joshua Lauterbach- Percussion
Gabriel Leal- Percussion
Angelina Martinez- Percussion
August Naranjo- Oboe
Rebecca Palmer- Percussion
Fernando Perez- Percussion
Jordan Rodriguez- Flute
Matthew Settles- Percussion
Charles Settles- Percussion
Ben Spivey- Violin
Alexa Valles- Cello
Jared Worman- Bassoon
Nicholas Zars- French Horn
1
Mocha (☕��) 2022
Coffee. We all either love it or hate it.
This piece embodies the journey one takes when consuming coffee.
Sakura (��⛩) 2024
This piece is inspired by the cherry blossom trees found in Japan. I was inspired by the blossoms falling to create musical patterns that embody that. As well as using common chords used in anime intros.
3 poems for voice (����) 2024
This piece is set to my three poems I wrote about the personification of the sun and the moon. It is about star-crossed lovers, yearning for one another and not being able to reach each other. The first poem tells the story about them through someone else’s perspective. It sets the tone for the other two poems, talking about their distance and longing for each other. The next two poems are each a love letter from one to the other. They symbolically can never be together but can watch over each other from a distance.
2
State of Mind ( ➡��) 2023
This piece is about the journey one takes to get from one place to another. The audio starts with a heartbeat, symbolically implying your own heartbeat. The running patterns are heard throughout the piece as it progresses. You can hear a dog’s barking and the busy streets as you run through the city. Then the piece ends the same way it began with a steady heartbeat. It’s all improvised upon the rhythms in each section
Submarine Skies (����) 2022
This piece was written with the idea of the deep ocean, it symbolizes the depth and mystery that is the ocean and how we don’t know what is down there. The name Submarine Skies is symbolic of the journey on a submarine. As you descend to the darkest parts of the ocean you can look up at the ocean above you as a sky, slowly sinking into darkness with the light from the sun above you. This piece takes that journey, as it descends to chaos, panic and intensity. It then floats back up to the surface with a gorgeous cello solo to end the piece. I wanted the piece to tell a story but also invoke a feeling of panic at its biggest impact point. Elements in the percussion include dipping crotales in water and using crystal glasses to add in some water elements.
3
Juicy Fruits (������) 2021
This piece came about while I was chewing on a piece of Juicy Fruit gum. This piece embodies the short yet fun flavor of the gum, this piece is fairly simple yet has a complex rhythmic and melodic structure only using the white keys of the instruments. I wanted this piece to feel short, sweet and simple yet exciting and new. It’s all around a fun groovy piece that will make anyone get up and dance!
Chapulines (�� )
2023
Chapulines is the Spanish word for “grasshoppers”, this piece is fun and energetic, it’s Latin inspired by nature and it has a catchy groovy bass line throughout the piece. I wrote this piece with the idea of dance, how a groove can get you up on your feet and make you want to dance. The ratchet instruments and the wooden cricket scraper symbolize the grasshoppers.
4
Thank You!
A huge thank you to all the musicians involved in my recital, to my friends and family for attending today and to everyone in these past five years that have been with me along the way. Thank you to professor Sherry Rubins and Paul Millette for allowing me to grow in this studio as a player as well as a person and a thank you to professors Ethan Wickman, Andrew Lloyd and Mr. Syler for helping me find my voice as a composer.
6
Thank you for attending my recital!
