Compositions by Ryan Jesperson

(with performance history)

Jeux pour Jumeaux - 2011 - for violin and contrabass (to be premieredin San Francisco, CA in 2012)

A Page Out of Zen - 2011 - for tenor and piano (text by Stephen Campiglio. Written for David Tayloe. To be premiered by David in NY in April, 2012)

Songs from Behind the Curtain - 2011 - an opera in three acts (portions performed at the John Duffy Composers Institute, June 2011, portions to be performed by the UMKC Opera Dept. April, 2012)

Orphée Redux - 2011 - for soprano, mezzo, baritone, and string quartet (or piano) (premiered by Rhymes with Opera and the West End String Quartet in July 2011. Performed in Baltimore, MD, NYC, NY, Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA)

Memories of New York - 2011 - for alto sax, percussion, viola, violoncello, and contrabass

BA(da)SS - 2011 - for solo contrabass (Written for Ryan Ford, to be premiered in the spring of 2012)

Not Death, but Love - 2011 - Saxophone Quartet (to be premiered by the Ineo Saxophone Quartet, spring 2012. String Quartet version also available)

The Invisible Magic Soccer Phone - 2011 - for concert band (Written for Tim Fisher and Memorial Middle School, to be premiered in CT in May, 2012)

Romanza for Saxophone and Violin - alto sax and violin - 2010 (a reworking of Romanza for Clarinet and Violin. Premiered by Sarah Washburn and Sheri Brown in January 2011. Performed again in February, and a third time in February 2012.)

Boombox Serenade - trumpet and electronics - 2010 (Premiered by Chris Belluscio in Boston, MA on April 24th, 2010)

Obscure Songs - SSAA voices - 2010 (recorded and performed for an ArtSounds event on April 13th in Kansas City, MO. SATB and TTBB versions also available)

Hebdomas Squatinae - for flute, violoncello, and piano - 2009 (winner, Beethoven Club/Belvedere Festival Competition Contest. Premiered June 26th, 2010 in Memphis, TN by the Luna Nova Ensemble. Performed Feb. 2011 at the Nebraska at Kearney New Music Festival)

I.Jest - for orchestra - 2009 (Winner, 2011 Gerald Kemner Prize for Orchestral Composition. Premiered by the UMKC Orchestra with Robert Olson in the spring of 2011)

Sonnets of the Portuguese - SATB choir - 2009 (winner, 2009 KC Chorale Competition Contest. "Indeed this very Love" premiered March 6th, 2010 in Kansas City, MO. Performed March 7th, 2010 in Prairie Village, KS by the KC Chorale)

Little Tokoyo - for brass quintet and piano - 2009 (to be premiered on an ArtSounds concert, Oct. 13th, 2009)

Euphonium >Plutonium - for solo euphonium - 2009 (portions premiered in spring 2009 by Nate Gay)

Quatrain for string quartet – 2 violins, viola, violoncello – 2009 (A reworking of part of The Hercules Quartets. Portions read by the Miami String Quartet, the Hartt Grad Quartet and the West End String Quartet, April, Oct., Nov. 2006)

I Await Your Urgent Response - for four players - 2009 (premiered on a UMKC GUILD Concert, March 5th, 2009. Performed on SCI Region V Conference, Oct. 9th, 2009)

Birdsongs - for medium voice and piano - 2008 (to be premiered in its entirety by Ashly Evans in Spring, 2011. Selections performed on the Nebraska at Kearney New Music Festival, March 31st, 2009)

fragments and memories - for trombone and piano - 2008 (premiered Jan. 15th by Radu Clipa in Bucharest, Romania. Performed on the CMU New Music Festival, March 2nd, 2009. Performed on a BTS Event, Spring 2009. Wind Ensemble version -2009, Orchestra version - 2012. Orchestra version to be premiered by Jordan Jacobson and the Hartt Independent Chamber Orchestra in the 2012/2013 season)

Concertino for Violin and Viola - for solo violin and viola, with fl, cl, hrn, 2 vlns, vla, vc, and cb - 2008 (premiered July 22nd, 2008 at the Wintergreen Academy. Nicholas Szucs and Anne Lanzilotti - soloists)

Farbenmusik - for solo piano - 2008/2010 (Winner 2009 Chappel White Memorial Award, Honrable Mention, 2009 NACUSA Young Composers Competition. Premiered by Kari Johnson, April 4th, 2009 as part of the CMS Great Plains Conference, Kansas City, MO. Revised version premiered by Amanda Arrington in Feb. 2010 in Nebraska and Missouri, March 2010 in Missouri, and June 2010 in New York City)

Concerto for Flute "Icarus" - for flute and orchestra - 2007 (commissioned by Sophia Tegart. Third movement premiered Feb. 25th, 2009 by Sophia Tegart and the UMKC Orchestra. Second movement read by Sophia Tegart and the UMKC Orchestra, March 13th, 2009)

Pretentious [Title] - for a sx, tpt, tbn, cl, vln, vc, pno, bs, and d.s. - 2007 (Premiered March 6th, 2008. Finalist, 2008 UMKC Chamber Composition Competition)

Divertimento for Trumpet and Organ - for trumpet and organ - 2007 (Commissioned and premiered by Chris Belluscio in Hartford, CT, May 12th, 2008)

Now Watch Me Become - original score for the film - 2007 (premiered May, 2007 in Hartford, CT. LA Premiere Sept. 29th, 2007)

Violin Sonata - for violin and piano - 2007 (Premiered by Sarah Washburn and Tamila Azadaliyeva on a NACUSA concert, June 9th, 2008)

In the Shadow of God's Wrath - chamber orchestra - 2007 (Portions read by UMKC Orchestra, February 2008)

...and those seven dwarfs - 2 violins, viola and violoncello - 2007 (commissioned by the Honors String Quartet. Premiered by the Honors String Quartet and Kate Swanson on June 10th, 2007. Performed by UMKC Conservatory Dean Peter Witte and the UMKC Graduate String Quartet, Sept. 2010. To be performed by members of the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival in July, 2011)

Romanza for Clarinet and Violin – clarinet and violin – 2006 (premiered by Cherl Melfi and Misty Elfer in Kansas City, MO, Sept. 24th, 2007)

Four Sleazy Dudes – alto saxophone, bass trombone, viola, violoncello – 2006 (Premiered by the Miklos Quartet in Nov. 2006)

Rhapsody for Dean Moriarty – alto saxophone and jazz orchestra – 2006/2010 (Portions read by the Hartt Big Band, Dec. 2006)

Sonata for Trombone – trombone and piano – 2006 (a reworking of the Trombone Concerto) (Premiered by Mark Babbitt and Nikolas Caoile on Oct. 11th, 2006 in Ellensburg, WA)

Three Harlem Songs – tenor, flute, violoncello, piano – 2006

The Hardy Boys Variations – two pianos – 2005 (Premiered by Anastasia Seifetdinova and Yu-Chen Shih on Feb. 8th, 2006)

Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru – woodwind quintet – 2005 (Premiered April 21st, 2006 in Hartford, CT.  Also performed April 22nd and 23rd.)

The Women of Leopold Bloom – solo bassoon – 2005 (Selections performed, Nov. 2005, Full piece premiered June 5th, 2006 in NYC. Performed May, 2007 in Hartford, CT.)

Waltz for Coltrane – vocal jazz SATB – 2005 (Published, Sound Music Publications)

Humanity Divine – medium voice and piano – 2005/2007 (Original lyrics added in 2007, premiere slated for fall 2008)

Waltz for a Beautiful Woman – jazz big band – 2004 (Premiered, Dec. 2004)

Chromatizactly – jazz big band – 2004 (Performed twice, spring 2004) Winner, Best Big Band Composition, Lional Hampton Jazz Festival, 2004.

The Shadow of the Hill – vocal jazz SATB – 2003 (Performed three times, spring 2004)  Winner, best vocal composition, Lional Hampton Jazz Festival, 2004.

scenes from a solitary beach – solo clarinet – 2003 (Performed, Jan. 2004, Feb. 2004, April 2004 at SCI Region VII conference, June 2004 at ReJoyce festival, and Nov. 2005 at SCI Region V Conference, and April, 2008 on a new music concert in Dubuque, Iowa.)

Words for the Dead – Chamber Opera for 8 voices and Piano – 2003 (Recorded, Dec. 2003, performed Jan. 2004)

Armando’s Grand Illusion – jazz combo – 2002 (Performed twice by Jazz Northwest, Feb 2003.)

A Night Like This – jazz big band – 2002 (Performed once by WSU Big Band, fall 2002)

Fall, 2012: Joseph Abad will premiere a new Saxophone Sonata.

Fall, 2012: Jordan Jacobson will perform fragments and memories in CT.

Spring-Summer, 2012: Jeux pour Jumeaux will be performed in San Francisco, CA.

Spring, 2012: Bobby Watson and the UMKC Big Band will premiere Rhapsody for Dean Moriarty in Kansas City, MO.

Spring, 2012: Ashly Evans will premiere Birdsongs in Houston, TX.

Spring, 2012: BA(da)SS will be performed by Ryan Ford in West Hartford, CT.

Spring, 2012: Jordan Jacobson will perform fragments and memories in CT.

Spring, 2012: Not Death, but Love will be premiered by Ineo Saxophone Quartet.

Spring, 2012: David Tayloe will perform A Page Out of Zen in CT.

May, 2012: The Invisible, Magic, Soccer Phone will be premiered in Middlefield, CT.

April, 2012: The UMKC Opera Dept. will perform portions of Songs from Behind the Curtain.

April, 2012: David Tayloe will premiere A Page Out of Zen in NY.

Feb. 17th, 2012: The 016 Ensemble will be perform Romanza for Alto Saxophone and Violin in Manchester, CT.

Dec. 3rd, 2011: Ryan defends his dessertation, Songs from Behind the Curtain at UMKC.

July 17th, 21st, 24th, 2011: Music Faculty from the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival will perform ...and those seven dwarfs in a series of concerts in Western Maine.

June 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 2011:Orphée Redux will be performed by Rhymes With Opera on their East Coast Tour (NYC, Baltimore, Hartford, Boston).

June 12th, 2011:Selection from Songs from Behind the Curtain will be performed at the John Duffy Composers Institute in Norfolk, VA.

May 13th, 2011: The Ineo Quartet will perform the 1st movement of Not Death, but Love on their Fischoff Competition program in South Bend, Indiana.

March 19th, 2011: The Ineo Saxophone Quartet will perform ...and love is fire... from Not Death, but Love at the NASA conference in West Point, NY.

Feb. 25th, 2011: I. Jest will be premiered by Robert Olson and the UMKC Orchestra in Kansas City, MO.

Feb. 14th, 2011: Hebdomas Squatinae will be performed at the Nebraska at Kearney New Music Festival.

EVENT HISTORY