Monica Houghton - Composer

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• Orchestral
• Chamber
  
• Cross-Cultural Explorations
• Solo Instrumental
  
• Opera
• Art Song
• Secular Choral
  
• Sacred
  
• Electronic
  

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Orchestral Music

•  "Arp 87" (2010)* for large orchestra; after an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope; commissioned and premiered by the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, Liza Grossman conducting, on December 11, 2010  (7 minutes)  (Hear the CYO premiere concert on YouTube)
  pic 333 bcl 3 cbsn 4341 5perc harp strings
  
• "Osa Sinfonia" (2007) for chamber orchestra; inspired by a visit to Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica; premiered by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, on March 30, 2008, with support from the American Music Center (13 minutes)
  1(pic) 1 (eh) 1 (bcl) 1 1 2 perc harp piano strings (5,4,3,2,1)
• "One Morning in September" (2004)* for large wind ensemble; composed in response to the events of September 11, 2001; commissioned and premiered by University Circle Wind Ensemble, Gary Ciepluch conducting, February 20, 2005, with support from the American Music Center (12 minutes)
  2 pic, 2 fl, 2 ob, ca, 2 bn, cbn, scl in Eb, 3 cl in Bb, 2 bcl in Bb, cbcl in Bb, ssx in Bb, 2 asx in Eb, tsx in Bb, barsx in Eb, 4 hn in F, pic tpt in Bb, 2 tpt in C, 4 tbn (1 btbn), tba, timp,3 perc, pf, 2-4 string cb
• "Glancing at Flowers" (2002) for small orchestra; premiered by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Young and Emerging Composers Reading, Andrew Rindfleisch conducting, November 14, 2002; second performance by the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Warren Friesen conducting, July 27, 2005 (4 minutes)
  1111 111 1 strings
• "Canyon Voices" (2001) for large orchestra; inspired by a raft trip down the Grand Canyon; Winner ASCAP/SCI Region V 2002 and the CIM Orchestra Prize; premiered by the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, Carl Topilow conducting, on January 29, 2003; second performance by the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, Liza Grossman conducting, December, 13, 2003 (4 minutes)
  3333 4321 31 harp piano strings

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Chamber Music

• "Three Songs Without Words" (2010) for flute and guitar, premiered by Mary Kay Ferguson, flute and Don Better, guitar, February 20, 2011, (6 minutes)
• "Epigram" (2008) for string quartet, inspired by the last quartet of Ludwig van Beethoven; premiered by members of the Cleveland Chamber Collective (Takako Masame and Sae Sirigami, violins; Lisa Boyko, viola; Linda Atherton, 'cello) for the Cleveland Chamber Music Guild, October 11, 2009; second performance December 7, 2009 (7 minutes) 
• "Four Seasons Gentlemen" (2008) for flute, string quartet and piano; an evocative work based on an original ink brush scroll painting by artist Mitzi Lai; premiered by the Cleveland Chamber Collective, for the Rocky River Chamber Music Society, March 16, 2009 (8 minutes)
  
• "Whalefall" (arr.) for viola and organ (2007); premiered by Lynne Ramsey, viola, and Karel Paukert, organ, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, April 20, 2008; second performance by organist Todd Wilson, with Drew Robertson, viola, on March 21, 2010, in the Paul S. Weaver Memorial Auditorium, Morley Music Hall, Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio (7 minutes)
• "Ocho Duos de los Refugios" (2007)* for two violins commissioned by Israel Heller (10 minutes)
• "Here on Earth" (2006) for violin, clarinet, 'cello and piano; premiered at the Cleveland Institute of Music, April 6, 2008; second performance on Decemeber 5, 2010 at Lorain Community College (9 minutes)
• "Sky Signs" (2005)* for soprano saxophone, violin and piano; commisisoned and premiered by the Cleveland Duo and James Umble on April 29, 2007 (7 minutes)
• "Dante's View" (2005) for soprano saxophone, percussion and contrabass; inspired by a visit to Death Valley National Park; premiered by the Fireworks Ensemble at the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, July 2, 2005; subsequent performances by Case Western Reserve University Percussion Ensemble, Matthew Bassett conducting, on April 9, 2007 and April 14, 2007 (8 minutes)
• "Close (Far)" (2003) for violin, 'cello, piano, horn, and percussion (marimba and s. cymb); inspired by the call of a mourning dove; premiered by the Ernest Bloch Music Festival Ensemble, June 30, 2003; second performance by Richard King, horn, and friends, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, April 6, 2008 (9 minutes)
  
• "String Quartet No.1" (2001/03) in three movements (see below)  premiered by Ruth Marie Bridge, Daisuke Yamamoto, Joanna Patterson and Jared Ballance, December 4, 2001; subsequent performances for the Tuesday Musical Association February 11, 2003; at the Cleveland Institute of Music, March 2, 2003, with Ruth Marie Bridge and Nazig Tchakarian, violins; Jin Yu, viola; and Micheal Kaufman, 'cello; and for the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, May 14, 2004; Cleveland Composers Guild, February 27, 2005; Fortnightly Muscial Club, March 14, 2006 (14 minutes)
  
• Lamentations - 6:21
• Intermezzo - 5:00
• Beyond The Veil - 2:38
• "The Tree Serenades" (2002) for flute, clarinet, violin, 'cello, piano, percussion, optional vocalist and conductor, with text by the composer, premiered May 5, 2002 at the Cleveland Insitute of Music. Subsequent performances March 2, 2003 at CIM; and by the Cleveland Chamber Collective with guests soprano Sandra Simon, clarinet Tom Reed and percussion Benjamin Winters, Andrew Rindfleisch conducting, at Epworth-EuclidUnited Methodist Church, May 7, 2006. Winner, ASCAP Region V 2003 (15 minutes)
  
• "Villa Dallas (Pantoum)" (1999/2001) for soprano voice, clarinet and harp, with text by Renata Cinti; performed for OFMC October 2001, Eileen Moore, soprano,Dennis Nygren, clarinet, Jodie Guinn, harp. First Prize, Ohio Federation of Music Clubs 2001 (8 minutes)
• "Menage a Trois" (1997) for violin, cello , and piano, premiered at Lake Erie College, May 17, 1998 (7 minutes)
  

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Solo Instrumental Music

• "Corpo Sonoro" (2007)* for solo piano (based on poetry of Maria Davico) commissioned by the Ohio Music Teachers Association and premiered by Halida Dinova, pianist, in Columbus, Ohio, on November 16, 2007; subsequent performances by Ms. Dinova at Cleveland Institute of Music and Cleveland State University, and for the Thanatopolis Exhibition (Quase um Soneto only) October 2010 (11 minutes)
• "In the Dunes" (2005)* for solo piano; commisisoned and premiered at SUNY Stony Brook by Tuyen Tonnu, May 10, 2006; subsequent performances by Ms. Tonnu on February 24, 2008, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, Cleveland, Ohio, and February 12, 2008, at Illinois State University (6 minutes)
• "Odyssey" (2005) for solo viola; premiered by Christiana Reader, February 22, 2009 (7 minutes)
  
• "Mishi Peshu: Vision at Big Water" (2005) for solo tuba; premiered by Brian Kiser, April 10, 2006; sunsequent performances by Don Harry, November 27, 2006 and Andrew Welborn, May 17, 2007 (8 minutes)
• "Blue Shuffle" (2004)* for solo guitar, commissioned and premiered by Don Better on acoustic guitar, September 25, 2005. Consisting of nine segments inspired by common phrases or associations with the word "blue" (examples include "patch of blue," "black and blue, " and "little boy blue"), neither the performer nor the audience knows ahead of time in what order the segments will be performed. This gives rise to a particularly keen sense of "being in the moment" as the performance unfolds. Second performance, Cleveland Institute of Music, April 6, 2008 (11 minutes)
• "Blue Shuffle" (2004)* on electric guitar, October 3, 2010 at Drinko Hall, Cleveland State University (11 minutes)
  
•  "Erebus" (2003)* for solo organ; commissioned and premiered by Karel Paukert at the Cleveland Museum of Art, August 22, 2003; subsequent performances for AKI Festival, November 2, 2003 ; Yale University, December 2004; Cathedral of St. Bavo, Ghent, Belgium, August 2005; Lincoln Organ Showcase, February 4, 2007; St. Paul's Episcopal Church, March 11, 2007; and by Dr. Frances Nobert for the International Alliance for Women in Music, in California, June 6, 2004. Commercially available in a recording by Mr. Paukert for AZICA Records as part of a collection entitled, "Aubade: Organ Music of Ohio Composers" (7 minutes)
  
• "Sonata for Piano" (1998) in four movements; first performance by Lisa Musca, November 7, 1999; subsequent performance for the Lyman Prize competition April 2000; this work was composed for and is dedicated to Diana Fanning, pianist. Ms. Fanning performed it in February and March 2004 at Marlboro College, Middlebury College and Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire; in October and November 2004 and January 2005 in Vermont, February 2005, in Cleveland, and April 2005 in Paris, France, and Munich, Germany.  Winner, Lyman Prize 2000 (10 minutes)

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Opera

• "The Big Bonanza" (2008) in two acts with a libretto by Jon Christensen; Winner, First Boston Metro Opera NMNE Mainstage Concert Award; for complete information and audio samples visit www.monicahoughton.com/thebigbonanza (90 minutes)
  5 principals, 3 comprimarios, small chorus from which additional solos and small roles are drawn; 1122 211 2 concertina erhu piano harp strings

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Art Song

• "Three Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson," (2011) for soprano and piano (4 minutes)
  
• "Five Songs on Poems of James Wright" (2009) for baritone and piano, premiered by Patrick Mason, with Alexandra Nguyen, piano, Grusin Hall, University of Colorado, Boulder, September 21, 2010; second performance by Andrew White, baritone, with Eric Charnofsky, piano, West Park UCC, Cleveland, Ohio, April 3, 2011 (11 minutes)
  
• "Whalefall" (2006) for soprano (or mezzo soprano) and piano (text by Elizabeth Bradfield); premiered by Andrea Chenoweth, soprano, and Eric Charnofsky, pianist, at Cleveland State University, September 23, 2007; Winner in the Vocal Category Contemporary Americana Festival, with a second performance in Boston, Massachusetts, September 24, 2010 (5 minutes)
• "Talismans I-IV" (2003) for high voice and guitar (text by Linda Robiner); premiered by Eileen Moore, soprano, and Don Better, guitar on March 2, 2003; second performance by Andrew White, baritone, and Don Better, guitar, AKI Festival of New Music, October 3, 2003 (6 minutes)
  
• "Umbrella Drink" (2003) for high voice and guitar (text by Gail Bellamy); premiered by Eileen Moore, soprano, and Don Better, guitar on March 2, 2003; second performance by Andrew White, baritone, and Don Better, guitar, AKI Festival of New Music, October 3, 2003 (2 minutes)
  
• "Three Songs for Lyric Baritone" (2002)* for baritone (or tenor) and piano (text by Walt Whitman); commissioned and premiered by Jose Gotera, December 4, 2002; second performance by Mr. Gotera, March 2, 2003; on March 29, 2008, baritone Patrick Mason performed the excerpted song  "I Dreamed in a Dream" in recital with pianist Mitsumi Moteki, at Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University. Tenor version premiered by Christopher Aaaron Smith, in Boston Massachusetts, May 9, 2010, under the title "Three Songs on Poems of Walt Whitman" (7 minutes)
  
• "In Singing Weather" (1997) song cycle for soprano voice with piano (text by Maggie Anderson); excerpts premiered by Eileen Moore, soprano; second performance of excerpts by Laurie Lashbrook. Full cycle premiered by Andrea Chenoweth, soprano, and Eric Charnofsky, piano; in Mixon Hall, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, April 6, 2008 (25 minutes)
  
• "Fireflies" (1995) for soprano voice and piano (text by the composer) premiered by Eileen Moore, soprano, on October 15, 1995. (3 minutes)
• "In the Neighborhood" (1995) for baritone voice and piano (text by the composer) premiered by Andrew White, baritone, on October 15, 1995. (3 minutes)

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Secular Choral Music

• "Defenceless under the Night" (2009) SSATB with organ (text by W. H. Auden) was one of three finalists for the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Composition Contest at University of Chicago (5 minutes)
  

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Sacred Music

• "Rise up, Shepherd, and Follow," arr. (2011) for SSAATTBB a capella (6 minutes)
  
• "Four Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin (2009) SATB a capella (9 minutes) of which Alma Redemptoris Mater premiered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights on December 6, 2009
• "Te lucis ante terminum" (2009) SATB a capella (2 minutes)
• "Psalm 121" (1995) for soprano voice and organ; premiered at Houghton Chapel, Wellesley College (4 minutes)

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Cross-Cultural Explorations

• "Ghost Temple" (2006) for percussion quintet; premiered by the Oberlin Percussion Group, April 9, 2007 (8 minutes)
• "We Rise above Our Little Quarrels" (2003)* for dan tranh (zither) and sao (flute), commissioned by Phong Nguyen and premiered at the Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi, Vietnam, January 2, 2005 (6 minutes) 
  

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Electronic Music

• "Dragon's Lullaby" (2002) premiered April 22, 2002 (6 minutes)

* Commissioned work