Princeton Doctor of Philosophy in Music Composition Application
Presented Works
The three works presented below show different facets of my practice as a composer, artist and researcher. It is recommended you engage with them in the order presented. I have additionally included two further supplementary works should you require any further context.
- '/Esis' - shows a solo work driven by research-based practice and immersive sonic world-building.
2. 'Orlando' - A large scale theatre work driven by collaborative devised frameworks and the fusion of musical theatre and experimental timbral synthesis.
3. 'Snap' - A detailed notational language created for a percussion quartet and four decks of cards.
Work #1 - '/esis' by Rachel Lewindon
presented by Speak Percussion 2024 as part of AXON Festival
Written for prepared piezo trigger piano, voice and prepared piano hammers
Inspired by research into post-humanist concepts from Donna J Haraway, David Cecchetto and Pscyhoacoustic principals, this piece explores three prompts, Borders as Dynamic, Body as Process and Objects as Possibilities. It explores a variety of technology based processing and spatialisation to create new relationships between music, performer and sound. The title '/esis' from the suffix '-esis' as the process of becoming.
I - Borders as Dynamic - Suggested Excerpt : (0:00 - 1:50)
In Movement I, a public piano is prepared with Piezo disks that trigger field recordings from interviews, natural sources from my travels that are processed through an Elektron Digitakt. The sound is then heard through vibration speakers attached to the Piano itself so the piano is the sole 'acoustic' source of both the natural playing sound and samples. This installation work encourages new forms of play and discovery of narrative building, and is in discussion for future development as an installation work.
II - Body as Process - Suggested Excerpt : (5:34 - 7:30) and PDF score
Movement II explores the discovery of voice through sensation and the subsequent 'loss' of voice to the technological realm. Through vocal processing, light and surround sound spatialisation, this work encourages the performer to engage with the 'recorded' or processed sound. This transformation of amplification as not just a means of aiding hearing, but as a character and active 'performer' in the space creates new relationships and a removal of delineated hierarchical sonic structures.
III - Objects as Possibilities - Suggested Excerpt: (2:11 - 4:00)
Movement III utilises a new instrument built out of discarded piano hammers, prepared with broken porcelain, stringy bark and various metals then processed using a Roland VT4 and Space Echo. All live, this explores the tactile nature of
This work has been developed further utilising contact microphones and live processing with a Korg MS20.
videos provided by Takeshi Kondo
Work #2 - Orlando by Rachel Lewindon and Willow Sizer
presented by Antipodes Theatre Company at fortyfive downstairs 2023
Directed by Maude Davey and Margot Fenley
Written for 5 voices/performers, 2 supplementary voices, violin, prepared piano, two polyphonic synthesisers, one monophonic synthesiser and sequencer.
Set and Costume: Bethany J Fellows
Lighting Design: John Collopy
Performers: Willow Sizer, Manali Datar, Marty Alix, Kikki Temple and Louie Dalzell
Based on the novel by Virginia Woolf of the same name, Orlando is a new musical/chamber opera by Rachel Lewindon and Willow Sizer. The cast of 5, each fluidly playing the titular role of Orlando modernise Woolf's perspectives on gender to the modern day. This work was crafted through a devised theatre methodology through which improvisations with the cast were imbedded into the script and score to create a multifaceted creative body of work. Exploring the vocal ensemble as an instrument alongside modern synthesis and unusual piano preparations create timeless liminal worlds, bringing Orlando into the modern era. It received critical acclaim, featuring in The Age, Herald Sun, Australian Book Review and many other smaller magazines.
The work is approximately 75 minutes in length, featuring 9 songs and live underscoring using live musicians and sound design.
1. "The Oak Tree" - Suggested Excerpt (0:30 - 2:40)
Inspired by The recurring theme of The Oak Tree, this final work explores the ensemble as the conglomerate of Orlando, crafting cohesive textures and sonic painting of lyrical content. Exploring close and expansive harmonies this work seeks to explore the contraction and expansion of time here at the titular point in the show, arriving at a sense of understanding of multiplicities of self and time.
2. "Nature + Intellect" - Suggested Excerpt (1:50-3:00)
This work explores a turning point for the character of Orlando where romance has failed them, turning towards a love of poetry and intellect to escape their romantic failings. Set in 7/4 utilising a blunt repetitive pulse, the music moves between rigid, emotionless and factual with moments of luxuriating emotional escape as Orlando grapples with betrayal. This piece uses prepared piano with objects from mudlarking in previous scenes as well as voice and synthesis.
3. "Calling of Selves" - Suggested Excerpt (0:53-1:30 / 2:35-3:00)
The opening of the work - this was a process heavily informed by reoccurring improvisations from the cast throughout the rehearsal period. Explorations around sonic qualities their version of Orlando brought into the room, such as explorations of vocal textures and sonic gestures were imbedded into the score. The use of sonic markers from the accompanying musicians created structure and form around segments of exploration, allowing performers some creative autonomy.
Videos by Angel Leggas 3FatesMedia
Work #3 - Snap by Rachel Lewindon
Presented by Sō Percussion as part of the Small World Series 2025
Written for: 4 Players and 4 decks of cards.
Performed by: Priscilla Im, Brandon Furman, San-Lou, Cameron Arnold
SNAP! was inspired by the site specific nature of the performance of this piece. I wanted to create a piece that could manifest surprisingly and without the 'performance' setting, these people could simply be playing cards, that suddenly become a piece of music, that then dissolves back into reality as they play a real game. This fleeting musical world uses four packs of 52 standard deck cards and explores the sonic possibilities of cards using shuffling, knocking, rotating, scraping, flipping and dealing. With this work I have created a unique notation legend and language for the cards, exploring polyrhythms, pattern displacement and ensemble hocketing. The performers 'Shuffle', 'Deal' and eventually play!
This work was performed by students of the SoSI Summer Institute as part of the Small world series. The nature of the piece was to emerge from an unexpected corner of the coffee shop, thus the 'secretive' nature of the filming angle and background noise.
Suggested Excerpts
1:14 - 2:22 - Score page 3 - Section 'B', bar 20.
3:10 - 3:40 - Score page 10 - Section 'Dealing'
Supplementary Works
"the truth slips through my fingers to the floor" by Rachel Lewindon
Presented by Sō Percussion at Sō Summer Institute 2025
Written for Percussion Duo, Bass Drum, Piano Keys, Porcelain, Electronics and Light.
This work was inspired by the physics concept of mirror-symmetry breaking and explored three planes of symmetry, Discrete, Continuous and Gauge. Two performers mirror each other with various forms of breaking their own mirroring and the audience expectations. In discrete symmetry, actions like the introduction of ghost notes start to challenge the audience's perception of reality, and real time delay creates 'glitches' in the perception of events. As they begin to continuously break in the middle section using gesture and pulse to create physical 'heat' in which their atoms can ultimately break begins to trigger the electronics. Through this - contact microphones start to amplify granulated versions of the instruments playing, that then transform to voice and ultimately synthesis as the performers start to rediscover the principals of the new sonic world. This world transformation is heightened by the automation of lights that plunge the piece into darkness and then refract the world with large shadows. This piece feels like a strong coalescing of my practice as a composer and electronic producer.
Unfortunately video documentation was not completed in time for submission, however the score and rehearsal footage can provide some context and understanding.
Score for "The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven" by Jo Clifford, Music by Rachel Lewindon
Written for Chamber Vocal Quartet
Directed by Kitan Petkovski
Performed by Kirsten Smyth, Willow Sizer, Melanie O'Brien, Tomas Parrish and Sherry Lee-Watson
Winner of Green Room Award for Best Production and Best Composition and Sound Design 2022
The process for developing the score involve collaboration with writer Jo Clifford and Director Kitan Petkovski. Using the vocal ensemble to heighten the narrative intention of the text, using latin translations of script, timbre and melodic contour to create a score that held and heightened moments of the script rather than drive heavy handed emotional intentions. Text cues gave indications of structure and guidance for ensemble to move between sections allowing for duration flexibility. The choir and text begin to amalgamate to form one sonic narrative.
Suggested Excerpt - 2:20 - 3:28
Score Page 21, Bar 21 - 50