Consortium Opportunity: Double Commission
Two Lyon Pieces
Fill out the interest form here!
I’m thrilled to announce my first consortium project—a pair of new string orchestra pieces at Grade 5 and Grade 2.5 levels, inspired by the rich history and culture of Lyon, France.
Your participation means more than just helping bring these works to life; it also makes the commissioning process more accessible for young musicians and allows us to create something meaningful for future generations of players.
Both pieces will be workshopped and premiered in Fall 2025 by Rachel Jayson and Jess Billings-White and the Lexington School Orchestras (MA). Afterward, all consortium members will receive the final PDF score & parts no later than December 31, 2025.
Why a Double Consortium?
I designed this as a double consortium to provide more flexibility for directors while offering a meaningful experience for multiple student groups:
🎻 Grade 5 – A great fit for advanced high school or collegiate orchestras.
🎻 Grade 2.5 – Ideal for younger orchestras or developing programs.
Directors can choose one piece that fits their needs—or, if you have orchestras at both levels, this is a chance to involve multiple groups in a meaningful commissioning experience and give your students the opportunity to work with a living composer.I also chose this consortium format to reach more young musicians and to make this experience as accessible as possible.
Beyond the Music: Cross-Curricular Possibilities
These works naturally connect with a variety of other subjects and creative opportunities, making them perfect for integrated learning experiences. Directors who opt into both pieces could explore:
🎭 Puppet-Making & Theater: Students could design their own puppets or create a puppet show to accompany the Grade 2.5 piece – Hand puppets, marionettes, or shadow puppets!
🎨 Visual Arts: A local artist or art teacher could lead students in puppet-making, silk painting, weaving, or other fiber arts.
🧵 Fabric & Textile Arts: Classes could explore the history of silk weaving and its connection to the Grade 5 piece.
🗺️ French Language & History: Students could study Lyon, the French Revolution, the Canut Revolts, the French Resistance in WWII, economics and workers’ rights & wages, and Guignol’s role in cultural satire—topics that provide rich learning experiences.
How to Join the Consortium
Buy-in Prices:
Grade 5 piece: $450
Grade 2.5 piece: $300
Both pieces: $650
🎻 Consortium members receive:
✔️ PDF score & parts (delivered no later than December 31, 2025)
✔️ Your name & ensemble credited in the published score
✔️ Premiere credit
✔️ Exclusive performance rights until July 2026
✔️ A personalized video from me or the opportunity for a Zoom call with your orchestra (schedules permitting).
Grade 5 Piece
Lyon’s silk trade produced shimmering beauty — and ignited fierce revolt. The industry shaped the city itself: high-ceilinged workshops housed massive Jacquard looms, while hidden passageways (traboules) crisscrossed Lyon to protect bolts of silk from the elements. Later, these same traboules sheltered revolutionaries from capture. In the early 19th century, silk weavers (les Canuts) staged major uprisings to demand fair wages and better working conditions, using the traboules to evade soldiers and organize in secret. Over a century later, during World War II, members of the French Resistance once again turned to these passageways to outmaneuver the Gestapo.
Both the silk and the city were shaped by hands both delicate and defiant — and my music seeks to weave those stories together. Inspired by these intertwined legacies, my work reflects the relentless rhythm of the loom, the flowing motion of silk, and the unpredictable surges of revolt.
Grade 2.5 Piece
Guignol is Lyon’s most mischievous puppet—quick-witted, full of energy, and never afraid to poke fun at authority. Created in 1808 by silk weaver Laurent Mourguet, this beloved marionette has entertained audiences for over two centuries with a mix of physical humor, satire, and sharp social commentary. His shows delight children with slapstick antics while slipping in jokes that only the adults truly understand.
Like Guignol himself, my music is playful, unpredictable, and full of mischief—a lively dance of quick exchanges, sudden turns, and bursts of comic energy. It moves with the same theatricality as a puppet show, capturing the spirit of wit, rebellion, and clever trickery that has made Guignol a lasting icon of Lyon.