Aaron Jay Myers

The Butterfly Dream is a short writing by the Chinese Taoist philosopher, Chuang Tzu. This English translation is by Burton Watson from Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings (Columbia University Press, NY): “Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Chou. But he didn't know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou. Between Chuang Chou and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called The Transformation of Things.” As C. W. Chan puts it, “This shows that, although in ordinary appearance there are differences between things, in delusions or in dreams one thing can also be another. The Transformation of Things proves that the differences among things are not absolute.” Not only did I use the text as artistic inspiration, but also as a way of creating a formal structure for the piece. The text is divided and written directly in the score. Without being completely literal, the text serves as an abstract programmatic guideline for the performer. The Butterfly Dream was commissioned by Amy O’Dell and was written in March, 2015. It was recorded and released on her album "Find Your Inner Child."

Alto Saxophone and Clarinet Premiere by Joseph Wolf on May 18, 2019, Landisville, PA

Cello - Jennifer Bewerse Marimbas - Matt Sharrock & Karli Vina (then Mason) Recorded Oct. 21, 2010 at the Boston Conservatory

Gunnar Owen Hirthe - bass clarinet Aaron Hynds - tuba Henrique Medeiros Batista - percussion For a very long time, I have been fascinated by the occult and the macabre. This interest manifests itself in my music, often serving as inspiration during the composition process. It has resulted in pieces based on mystical and alchemical ideas, and an unofficial demon series based on various ancient demons, creatures, and spirits. I am also a fan of cult and classic horror films. We Are The Things That Were and Shall Be Again is titled after a phrase said by a possessed character in Sam Raimi’s classic film Evil Dead 2. In the film, evil spirits of the dead are accidentally summoned by reciting words from the book of the dead known as the Necronomicon. The spirits desperately want to live again, but can only manifest physical form by possessing the living. When asked to compose for tuba, bass clarinet, and percussion, I was excited by the interesting sonic possibilities that can be created with this unique ensemble. Not only was I inspired by the idea of evil spirits struggling to exist again in the physical world, but I also felt drawn to the title because of the other ways I could interpret it. These include the idea of the oppressed rising up from bondage to overthrow their oppressors, and certain instruments (such as tuba) coming out of the background and into the foreground. "We Are The Things That Were and Shall Be Again" was written for Aaron Hynds, and composed during September and October of 2016. Aaron Jay Myers (Oct. 16, 2016)

Human history is full of war, murder, inequality, and countless other tragedies. The capacity of humans to exploit and destroy each other seems boundless. For many of us, this constant war that humankind wages against itself is utterly maddening and painfully heartbreaking. And in the United States, it continues to get worse. Whether it’s violent police officers abusing their power, the increasing amount of savage gun violence that infects this country in general, violent white supremacists feeling empowered to publicly spread their hate, or the war against the middle and lower classes, as well as minorities, that Trump and his fiendish cohorts continually wage with their barrage of damaging policies. Like many of us who want justice, equality, and peace, it’s easy to feel frustratingly helpless. But no matter what, we must defy the horrors and continue to work for freedom and peace. We must look out for each other! Music is what I have most readily available to speak out against injustice, so using an American colloquialism that children are known to say, I stand defiant in the face of tyranny and say You’re Not The Boss Of Me! You’re Not The Boss Of Me was commissioned by The Governor’s School, West. It was composed between late March and early June of 2018. It was conducted by Orlando Cela and premiered at The Governor’s School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on June 29th, 2018

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For many years I have been photographing cracks, stains, mold, rust, and discoloration on man-made and natural objects. I continue to be humbled and deeply inspired by the raw beauty all around us that is often overlooked or taken for granted. For a long time, I didn’t realize that many of my photographs were not of mold, moss, or fungus like I thought they were, but actually of lichens instead. Lichens are beautiful bizarre organisms that are not a plant, moss, mold, or entirely fungus, and they are estimated to cover roughly 6% of the Earth’s surface. They do not have roots and there are thousands of recorded kinds of lichens. As described by the United States Department of Agriculture, “Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics...” There are eight of the main categories of lichens with distinct characteristics which I used as inspiration for the eight movements: Fruticose (tufts, branch-like shrubs); Crustose (crust-like, close to the surface); Foliose (flat, leaf-like lobes); Byssoid (whispy); Leprose (powdery); Filamentous (stringy and matted); Gelatinous (jelly-like); Squamulose (clustered, flat, scale-like units). Lichens II is the second of the Lichens series and was written for my best friend, wife, and stellar violinist, Nicole Parks. It was completed in February, 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched The Sky is taken from Episode 8, Season 3 of the original Star Trek series. In the episode, the Enterprise comes upon what looks like an asteroid, but turns out too be a large hollow vessel designed to house its inhabitants as it travels through space, who genuinely think that they are living on a planet. A computer has malfunctioned and controls the population under the guise of a spiritual entity who punishes those who disobey by causing pain, and often death, through an electronic chip that has been implanted in their heads. An older man tries to tell Kirk and the crew that he went to the forbidden mountains and that their world is hollow and he has touched the sky, but is promptly silenced by the pain from the chip in his head which ultimately kills him. Although the title already has obvious and subtle symbolic implications, I chose to find even further metaphorical meaning as inspiration during the composing process. For example, the first part of the statement “For The World Is Hollow” can be taken to mean that the world, specifically humankind, is doomed to continue the cycle of petty violence, hatred, and destruction despite the efforts of many to promote peace. The second part of the statement “and I Have Touched The Sky” can be taken to mean that there are things such as music and the arts that transcend the mire of human despair. So for me, it means that although my heart breaks everyday because the vile and hollow ways of the world never cease to destroy and kill, the arts (music especially) have been, and continue to be, my salvation. I am incredibly fortunate and humbled to have “touched the sky.” For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched The Sky was written for Sharan Leventhal and Nicole Parks, and composed in February of 2017. — Aaron Jay Myers

We live in a time when blatant lies are spewed as truth by those in power, and blindly believed by those who would violently defend them or by those who are in stubborn denial of their gullibility, prejudice, and shortsightedness. And, a time when human rights, logic, empathy, reason, and democracy have been gleefully kicked aside by those who covet power and fortune. I know that there is “nothing new under the sun” and humankind has always caused itself unnecessary strife, but we are sitting in our mess and it is our responsibility to fix it. Like countless others as of late, I face each day with a simultaneously visceral and intellectual putrid blend of anger, sadness, and feeling of helpless frustration as our rights are haphazardly stripped away. And yes, I am full of hope and love too. That is why I cannot, I will not, sit by and pretend everything is alright and say or do nothing. Outside of art and music, I do what I can. But music is what I have in abundance to do with what I can. It may get through to some or it may do nothing, but at least I’m trying to fight tyranny with the tools available to me. The title of the piece is a quote taken from Captain Sisko in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was casually discussing with a guest how his neighbors conjure up false reasons to come over and bother him while he’s cooking, just so they can get a taste of his delicious cuisine. In referring to those neighbors he passively said “Yes, they are a duplicitous bunch.” Upon hearing this quote, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine my art, love of Star Trek, snarky sensibilities, and extreme outrage with our current state of affairs. To be perfectly transparent; I am applying this quote in reference to the abhorrent collection of individuals who are causing everything I allude to in the paragraph above. Yes, They Are A Duplicitous Bunch was commissioned by L+M Duo and premiered on June 25, 2017 at Constellation in Chicago, Illinois.

When three or more people are at a loud bar or party late at night and have already had a few drinks, the conversation topics often change suddenly and people tend to interrupt each other frequently. Individuals will also bring up earlier topics that were interrupted and the cycle continues. Especially at parties, another element of sudden change is the possibility to move in and out of different conversations with different groups of people very quickly. As people become more tired and intoxicated as the night progresses, conversation becomes even more fragmented, exaggerated, and exhausted. In Late Night Banter, I explore these ideas musically. Several different, but related musical ideas are presented very suddenly and in quick succession. These ideas banter back and forth as they change, grow, deconstruct, and are interrupted by new material. Each idea becomes a dominant voice in the conversation at one point or another, pushing the others aside to make their statement. Ultimately the ideas tire of trying to dominate the conversation, but continue to do so nonetheless. The original voice has the final say with one last bold statement at the very end. Late Night Banter was written for ALEA III and premiered in October of 2011. It was revised in 2014-15. This performance is from Oct. 15, 2015 in Cambridge, MA by the Equilibrium Ensemble.

As described by Aleister Crowley, Choronzon (pronounced Kō-rōn-zōn) is an ancient demon that destroys the ego and is the last great obstacle in the Abyss between the adept and enlightenment. More generally it represents dispersion, corruption, impotence, malice, restriction, and death. In his book The Vision and the Voice, Crowley describes Choronzon as follows: "The name of the Dweller in the Abyss is Choronzon, but he is not really an individual. The Abyss is empty of being; it is filled with all possible forms, each equally inane, each therefore evil in the only true sense of the word—that is, meaningless but malignant, in so far as it craves to become real. These forms swirl senselessly into haphazard heaps like dust devils, and each such chance aggregation asserts itself to be an individual and shrieks, "I am I!" though aware all the time that its elements have no true bond; so that the slightest disturbance dissipates the delusion just as a horseman, meeting a dust devil, brings it in showers of sand to the earth. I was fascinated by the idea of the demon trying to become something when it is nothing – a being that is not actually a being but craves to be, despite knowing that it never can be, and its constant effort to exist anyway. In Choronzon: Dweller of the Abyss, I hope to abstractly represent the demon trying to assert itself, but failing. The performers are required to shout “I AM I” in various forms at key moments. These build up to unison moments of false assertion, which are quickly dispersed again. Choronzon: Dweller of the Abyss was commissioned by the Boston-based ensemble, Soundry, and was completed on May 10, 2015. Premiered in May, 2015 by Soundry, this recording is of the TEMPO Ensemble from the Oct. 4, 2015 performance at CSUN in California.