February I Rita Veneziale Jasmine Ritter, CJ Stremick, Meredith Conklin, Shea Louster, Dominic Vesely, saxophones Brian Pendar, Justin Moraza, Carter Gagnon, Dalton Rapp, trumpets Justin Karnisky, Madeline Guernsey, Aaron Stoner, Selena Ortiz, trombones Cynthia MacDonald, piano Kyan, vibraphone Matthew Glende, bass Stevie Skvarek, drums ------------------------------------------- February is the first piece I wrote for Big Bang, and also my first jazz composition. It was premiered last Spring in a composition recital. Some of the performers from that concert joined me tonight to play it again. The piece is entitled February because...well, that's the month I started writing it. And I have the iPhone footage to prove it! ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston

Rolling Highway I Rita Veneziale Jasmine Ritter, CJ Stremick, Meredith Conklin, Shea Louster, Dominic Vesely, saxophones Brian Pendar, Justin Moraza, Carter Gagnon, Dalton Rapp, trumpets Justin Karnisky, Madeline Guernsey, Aaron Stoner, Selena Ortiz, trombones Cynthia MacDonald, piano Kyan, vibraphone Matthew Glende, bass Stevie Skvarek, drums ------------------------------------------- Our final piece for you is one of my favorites. I started it initially to work in a film, but it ended up not fitting the scene. But I didn't abandon it because I loved how it had I wrote this piece specifically to end the recital, so I knew it had to be a loud and fun crowd-pleaser. I wanted to take a simple idea and make it engaging with different accents and accompaniment. ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston

Musicbox for solo piano I Rita Veneziale Rita Veneziale, piano ------------------------------------------- The musicbox is a small trinket. For some, they sit on a shelf and collect dust. For others, they hold items and..well more dust. But for me, this musicbox collects memories. An item full of nostalgia and peace. My musicbox sings a tune of love and stories. ​ I'd like to dedicate this piece to my parents; for giving me my box to collect memories and write my music. ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston

Floating Through Space I Rita Veneziale Nat Rivet, alto saxophone Rita Veneziale, piano ------------------------------------------- Originally, Floating Through Space started as a solo piano piece. Well, more of an exercise. I was trying to push my boundaries with harmony. With further development (and by that, I mean a melody), I had this John Williams-inspired, cinematic saxophone solo. ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston

String Quartet No. 1 I Rita Veneziale I. Wandering II. Dance of the Woodland Creatures Lexis Ferree and Michael Coles, violins Kristin Berry, viola Emily Jaworski, cello ------------------------------------------- My String Quartet No. 1 is a milestone for my compositional development. I had made it a point to challenge myself in a different way for each movement. The first, Wandering, was an exploration of harmony that turned into a slow, emotional, mono-thematic piece. The motive moves in and out of different keys while weaving between the voices of the quartet, portraying a winding trail through a dimly lit forest. The second movement is more lighthearted. A vision of animals in a spirited dance that moves seamlessly through different meters. ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston

Without You I Rita Veneziale Katie Vitio, voice Jasmine Ritter, CJ Stremick, Meredith Conklin, Shea Louster, Dominic Vesely, saxophones Brian Pendar, Justin Moraza, Carter Gagnon, Dalton Rapp, trumpets Justin Karnisky, Madeline Guernsey, Aaron Stoner, Selena Ortiz, trombones Cynthia MacDonald, piano Kyan, vibraphone Matthew Glende, bass Stevie Skvarek, drums ------------------------------------------- Without You was written in my contemporary commercial music class. I working on it while simultaneously writing February (you can say I'm a pretty good multitasker). I was in the zone for writing jazz. And the instrumental came along easily. But I had no experience writing original lyrics. Thankfully I had the support of the other songwriters in that room; Nate DeRado, Logan Beerman, Dylan Johnson, Andy Latona, and Prof. Dave Drago. ------------------------------------------- Audio: Kyan Cheung Video: Paul H. Gaston