Fragment was commissioned by Metropolis Ensemble and premiered by Ian David Rosenbaum as part of the House Music series. Written in 2020, Fragment is Davis’s first piece for marimba, orchestral or solo. It’s part of Davis’s ongoing interest in writing short works that explore the ways music can elicit deep emotional responses.

The Tableau series is a collection of twelve short solo pieces that Davis composed between 2019 and 2021. Each work is for a different instrument and explores their expressive possibilities. Several composers in the latter half of the 20th century explored this idea, notably Luciano Berio (14 Sequenzas), Vincent Persichetti (25 Parables), and Elliott Carter (6 Figments and 5 Retracings). Coincidentally, these are some of his favorite composers. Tableau VI, originally composed for horn, is presented tonight in a new arrangement for trombone.

Grey Fireworks (Duo Concertante) is a work that responds to a painting of the same name by the American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler. The composition, like the painting, moves quickly through various moods, colors, and gestures. The immense motion, choice of colors, and seemingly improvisational burst of bright hues of the painting enabled the composition’s structure and capricious quality that certain gestures have in the work. Grey Fireworks was commissioned by the I & I Foundation for Samuel Nebyu (violin) and Charles Abramovic (piano) as part of the Summer Festival of Lucerne Festival 2022. Tonight's performance showcases a new arrangement of the piece for soprano saxophone and piano.

…Expansions of Light, for piano (2023) is a triptych piece in response to Winter Light (1979), a painting by American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler. The composition, like the artwork, is deeply contemplative in nature, providing a meditative and ethereal atmosphere in which the music flows through. While studying the canvas, it became apparent to me that the essence of Winter Light is one of great concern to the expansion and development of a singular visual motive. Hues of bright golden bronze in the upper left of the canvas sweep in a downward fashion gradually to the right; this amorphous, draping background is influenced by muted dark shades of brown, green, and orange. In addition to this, a deep, yet vibrant blue (of the Yves Klein fashion) impacts the bronze, bleeding into it, mutating itself into various turquoise greens. The metamorphosis of these hues, along with the manner in which they interact with one another, lead this work to explore subtle manipulation of musical gesture and material within my composition. 

The name “Expansions of Light” comes from the ideas previously stated as well my continuous, literal “expansion” of the musical ideas I did in my sketches for the work. The gently flowing lyricism, along with the subtly frozen aspects of Frankenthaler’s canvas are the origin for the movement titles of Arietta I and Arietta II. These movement titles, belonging to the operatic tradition meaning “short aria”, were introduced into instrumental writing by Beethoven in his later piano sonatas (most notably Opus 111). The Caprice provides textural contrast for the composition’s preoccupation with pensive and vocal qualities.   

Helen Frankenthaler’s canvases have led me to create several compositions reflecting the nature of her aesthetic concepts. There are currently five “Studies on Frankenthaler” and there are plans for several more in the future. …Expansions of Light (2023), was commissioned by the Terezin Music Foundation for pianist Jonathan Biss and is dedicated to Ara Guzelimian with admiration and gratitude. —Tyson Gholston Davis (11.16.23)

Canto II (Homage to Wolfgang Rihm) was written for Lucerne Festival Academy Ensemble. It premiered in August 2021 in Luzern, Switzerland at the Hochschule für Musik Luzern. Canto II exists in two versions: one for two horns, vibraphone, maribma (+ crotale), and harp; and another for vibraphone and marimba (+ crotale).

I wrote somethin’ outta nothin’ in the spring of 2025 as a short, capricious showstopper. This piece focuses on a limited number of pitches being rhythmically accented during its 3-minute duration. Oftentimes, the material will get “stuck” in a rhythmic group, which leads to a great deal of antic for the following section. I wanted to manipulate these rhythmic groups by subtly adjusting the rest between notes to be either shorter or longer. This effect allows for “hiccups” in the music and allows the rhythms to evolve over the work’s duration. somethin’ outta nothin’ was originally commissioned by Transient Canvas (Amy Advocat and Matt Sherlock) for bass clarinet and marimba. —Tyson Gholston Davis