Reiko Yamada
composer & sound artist
Mask and Shadow
for large orchestra
Duration: approximately 18 minutes in 2 movements
Premiered by McGill Symphony Orchestra
(2013)
Mask and Shadow is a two-movement orchestral work that explores the aesthetic of deliberate imperfection. Through unbalanced antiphonal calls, asymmetrical echoes, shifting orchestral colors, and fleeting climaxes, it embraces incompleteness as a source of beauty rather than striving for purity or perfection. The work was composed during the 2012–2013 McGill Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Residence program.
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For sample scores, performance materials, and technical requirements, please contact the composer directly.
Afterfeathers, Quiver - when a cardinal fell from the sky
for large orchestra
Duration: approximately 10 minutes
Premiered by the American Composers Orchestra
(2009, 2011)
Afterfeathers, Quiver is an orchestral work inspired by the sight of a female cardinal's feathers trembling in the winter wind after its death. Through powerful orchestral strikes, restless string textures, and a final chorus-like tapestry of repeated notes, the piece reflects on loss, memory, and the resilience of the creative spirit.
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For sample scores, performance materials, and technical requirements, please contact the composer directly.
Ocean
for jazz orchestra and live electronics
Duration: approximately 9-14 minutes
Premiered by the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos
(2017)
Ocean is a work for jazz orchestra and live electronics that combines traditional big band instrumentation with a custom Max/msp patch for real-time digital sound processing. The piece requires individual microphone inputs for each instrument, whose signals are transformed and spatialized across an eight-channel surround sound system, creating an immersive dialogue between acoustic performance and electronics. Commissioned for and premiered by the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos at the 13th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research (CMMR 2017) in Matosinhos (Porto), Portugal.
For sample scores, recording, performance materials, and technical requirements, please contact the composer directly.
New Shadows in Raw Light of Darkness
for string orchestra
Duration: approximately 15 minutes
Premiered by A Far Cry
(2009, 2019)
New Shadows in Raw Light of Darkness is a work for string orchestra written for A Far Cry during a residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in New Mexico. Inspired by the stark landscapes of the American Southwest, the fifteen-section work explores a wide range of musical characters, from chorale-like textures to energetic contrapuntal writing and shifting dances, celebrating the expressive possibilities of a conductorless string orchestra. Premiered by A Far Cry in 2009 at Boston's Jordan Hall and substantially revised for a new performance by the ensemble in 2019, the work reflects a dialogue between the composer's younger and more mature artistic voices.
For sample scores, performance materials, and technical requirements, please contact the composer directly.
Cantos
for soloist orchestra (2005, 2011)
Duration: approximately 12 minutes
Premiered by ALEA, McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble
(2005, 2011)
Cantos is a work for soloist orchestra in which every performer assumes an individual musical role within an intricate, chamber-like orchestral texture. Originally composed as Cantos for 15 Players and presented at the ALEA III Young Composers Workshop at Boston University in 2005, the work was substantially revised and expanded as Cantos for soloist orchestra, premiered by the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble in Montreal in 2011.
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For sample scores, performance materials, and technical requirements, please contact the composer directly.