MARY ELLEN CHILDS composer

CHAMBER WORKS

There is a Humming oboe and string bass

Home (from NORTH) multiple Bb clarinets and bass clarinets

NORTH chamber ensemble (music from NORTH installation)

Stone Steel Wood Glass Light string quartet

Field chamber piece

Scry trombone quartet and amplified violin  

Ephemeral Geometry string quartet

Parterre (arr.) recorder quartet

Black Box recorder quartet

Faint Object Camera clarinet, percussion, piano, whistle

Wreck cl/bass cl, violin, 2 cellos, percussion (full-evening work for dance)

Palimpsest multiple trumpets

Dream House string quartet (presented in live performance w/ multi-image video)

Fanfare brass quintet

Music of the House vln, vc, Cb, 2 reeds, tpt, trb, pno, drum set, perc

Pieces Apart chamber ensemble

Drawing Lines alto flute, clar, eng. horn, bassoon, viola, elec. bass, piano, perc

The Blue Hour muted trumpet, violin, cello, accordion, marimba

Kilter two pianos

Sound Curved Light cl, vln, vc, piano, percussion

Carte Blanche fl, cl, bsn, vla, Cb, keyboard, vibraphone

Run Deep saxophone, accordion, keyboard

Parterre cl (bass cl), bassoon, sop sax (bari sax), accordion, voice, perc

Four of One of Another string quartet and accordion

PERCUSSION WORKS

Rounds 4 percussionists

And So percussion quartet (2 marimbas, vibraphone, toy piano, steel drum)

WildDrum singer and three bass drums on spinning stands

Sight of Hand visual percussion piece for three percussionists (body percussion)

Talking Stick visual percussion piece for three drumstick players

Three visual percussion piece for three percussionists playing floor toms

Drumroll visual percussion piece for four percussionists on rollerchairs

Timeframe visual percussion piece for three hand drummers

Crash a movement-percussion work for 6 crash cymbal players

SixSticks 3 performers

Swing Shift “choreographed” work for three percussionists

Kolokol solo percussion (specially constructed “bells” made from oxygen tanks)

Tri-Cycles three performers on sculpture/musical instruments

Missing Link three percussionist/performers

Click three “choreographed” claves players

Still Life three percussionists

SOLO PIECES

Scattered Light piano

Now (Later Soon) piano

Unfettered solo string bass

Palimpsest multiple trumpets

Eye to Ivory piano

Margin Release solo accordion

Whistling in the Dark accordion

The Capacity of Calm Endurance piano

A Chording To multiple accordions

Oa Poa Polka accordion

Kolokol solo percussion (specially constructed “bells” made from oxygen tanks)

VOCAL WORKS

Music for Pauline (opera on the life of Pauline Schindler): A Letter for Mama, Ideas on Architecture, One of My Dreams, Wedding Announcement

Sagitta chorus and percussion

Better chorus and percussion

O2 breath choir

Air male vocal ensemble

Song to Make Me Still 2 voices and piano

Spirit House songs and instrumental music for a theater piece

Conversation Hearts songs and underscoring for theater piece

Round the Moon with Cy & June voice and ensemble

Night voice and piano

Bright Faces chorus and 2 pianos

LARGE ENSEMBLE

Sweep youth orchestra

Green Light concert band

Zephyrus concert band

OPERAS

Beyond full length opera (work in progress)

Propeller full length opera (work in progress)

OTHER

Murmuring sound for gallery installation by visual artist Lynn Lukkas

Wishes for the Sky music for St. Paul public art kite project

The B’s Knees three performers (a collaborative work with Laurie Van Wieren)

Between Spaces two accordions and harmonica, 15 dancers and life-sized sculptures

VIDEOWALL

A Chording To for 20-monitor videowall

Still Life for 16-monitor videowall