works
To purchase scores and parts for any of the works listed below, please contact me at me@asherjoyce.com.
i am never without it (2023, rev. 2024) [4']
for string orchestra, premiering 25th February 2024 @ St Stephen's Gloucester Road, London with the Sirius Orchestra
This work was adapted for string orchestra from the composer's early choral setting of an ee cummings poem that remains in copyright as of 2024. Lyrical, flowing and aptly poetic, the work grows gently in a gesture of love and joy.
Galaxian Variations (2023) [6']
for piano quintet and commissioned by RCM Constant & Kit Lambert Junior Fellow Rieko Makita, premiered 14th February 2024 @ Royal College of Music, London
The climbing galaxias is an Australasian species of fish, evolved with one strikingly unusual feature; it can climb ten metres up out of the water! This spirited work for piano quintet paints an affectionate and moving portrait of this unassuming fish and its unique lifestyle amongst Australia's rivers and lakes.
buildings swim/the earth bends (coming 2024!)
for string quartet and electronics, in partnership with the Sonora Quartet
This engaging and innovative electroacoustic work invites the audience into the composer's experience of sight - bright and clear before becoming occluded and difficult to decode.
Held (2023) [4']
in partnership with Elliot Randall, premiere 2024
Held is a warm, moving work that uses the unique power of the organ to embrace its audience. A sustained, shifting wave of sound encircles the listener from every corner of the hall.
Written for the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall organ.
O Rest (2023) [6']
for Alexander Boyd-Bench (cello) and Patricia Gomes (conductor), premiered 19th May 2023 @ Royal College of Music
The work is derived from Mendelssohn's aria, 'O Rest in the Lord' from the oratorio Elijah. Throughout the work, the original material is gradually revealed and then distorted by a kind of madness that overwhelms the consolation of the original. The cello is slowly lost in the ensemble before asserting its role as soloist in an intense climax.
November (2023) [10']
for the Sonora Quartet, premiered 19th May 2023 @ Royal College of Music
Thoughtful, spirited then mournful; November is a three-movement string quartet written as a delightful chronicle to the end of autumn.
Away; a suite (2022) [9']
for Lucy Gibbs and the Sonora Quartet, premiered 24th March 2023 @ St Mary Abbots, Kensington
This set of three songs was written to a collection of texts surrounding grief, impermanence and immortality. Rich string textures and warm, aching vocal melodies combine in a deeply personal and intimate chamber work.
A few metres from eternity (2022) [4']
for solo piano, premiered 28th November 2022 by Daniel Xia @ Royal College of Music
This evocative work for solo piano was written in response to the photo by the same name submitted by Antonio Buttafoghi for the 2022 HeadOn Photography Competition, in the landscape category. The work uses subtle and moving harmonic textures to create a warmth amongst a striking landscape.
Prayer in F (2020-21) [5'30"]
for six treble voices (SSMMAA) and various percussion, premiered by the MLC School Vocal Consort
In 2021, this work was awarded runner-up in Monash University's Emerging Composer Award, as well as the Spirit of Chamber Music Award and the Vocal Prize in Musica Viva's Strike A Chord competition. Prayer in F explores the sounds and sensations of the 2019/20 Australian bushfires, and casts a hopeful eye to the future.
When David Heard (2021) [2']
for string quartet and solo mezzosoprano, performed by Asher Joyce and the MLC School Recording Ensemble
Text taken from a Bible passage, When David Heard is a moving work centred around grief and love. The work exhibits moments of reverent, aching stillness, and furious anger, taking the listener on a profound journey through the experience of loss. This work was nominated for the 2021 Encore showcase, for outstanding Year 12 compositions across the state.
Čanto (2021) [2']
for string quartet, performed by the MLC School Recording Ensemble
The title taken from the Esperanto word for 'chant', this innovative string quartet mixes Hildegard-esque monophony with the grit and energy of classic Australian rock, creating a stirring and engaging whirlwind of a work. This work was nominated for the 2021 Encore showcase, for outstanding Year 12 compositions across the state.
Breeze on the Still of a River (2020) [3']
for vibraphone and suspended cymbal (single player), performed by Claire Edwardes
This work was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Australian Music Day digital education package, performed by internationally-renowned percussionist and member of Ensemble Offspring, Claire Edwardes. Unusual percussive timbres and a pulsing stillness create a naturalistic, reflective atmosphere.
Mano mee taeol (2019) [4'30"]
for SSAA choir (divisi) a cappella
In 2019, Asher worked with a student chamber choir in Sydney on a specially commissioned work, Mano mee taeol. The piece explores exquisite and dissonant harmonies within the SSAA structure, and uses nonsense language to create a sense of purity amongst the ensemble. The piece was performed at Music Live, Sydney, in 2019.
