Premiered by Katherine Bruton, soprano, and Katrina Sudman, piano, February 22, 2016, Ganz Hall, Chicago, IL

Littles

(2016) for soprano and piano

Littles is a set of miniatures for female voice and piano written in the winter of 2015-2016. The text of each of these pieces was written or inspired by a song, story, or conversation with one of my young nieces and nephews. Braden, age 3, triumphantly sings whatever comes to mind as he rides around his neighborhood in Tricycle Treasure Hunt. In Winter Wonders, Erin, age 4, describes what she likes most about the winter season. Grayson, age 3, tells the disastrous misadventure of a train engine in Little Yellow Engine. Finally, Archer, age 5, tells the story of a superhero’s defeat of a villainous foe in The Well-Placed Trampoline. The music of each song is designed to capture the simplicity of childhood, while giving the listener a glimpse into each child’s unique imagination.

Tricycle Treasure Hunt by Braden Isaac, age 3

Ah da da da! I'm riding my bike!

Nana, Papa, I'm riding my bike!

And I am riding my bike and all.

Here we go, to the treasure room,

And we are hunting for buried treasure!

Buried treasure!

Here we go to the treasure room and we are hunting for buried treasure!

Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah da da da!

Ah da da da!

'Cause I am riding my bike!

Winter Wonders by Erin Lindquist, age 4

I like ice skating, even though I don't have ice skates,

And I like making baby snowmen and eating them.

I like throwing snowballs on the picnic table,

And I like making snow angels with my sister, except I don't like the snow going in my eyes.

I like sledding down the hill with my sister,

And I like it when you push us and let go.

If it was a really big hill, you could push us and let go,

And then you could jump on,

And you'd give it more energy,

Because, because

You are so heavy.

Little Yellow Engine by Grayson Isaac, age 3

Once upon a time,

A little green engine pushed a little yellow engine in the water!

Then! The middle of the truck began to break!

Then! And he slipped on the oily tracks,

And he fell into the cha-loc-a-lit covered thing,

And he got all covered up in chocolate!

The end.

The Well Placed Trampoline by Archer Isaac, age 5

Once upon a time, there was a teenager named Peter Parker.

Peter Parker wasn't only Peter Parker;

he was also Spider-Man!

One day he heard a beep, beep, POOF!

It was a pumpkin bomb!

The Green Goblin threw it!

Spider-Man swung into action!

The Green Goblin threw another pumpkin bomb at him,

But he dodged it, and it went right over his head.

Do you know what the pumpkin bomb hit?

It hit a trampoline,

That was on its side,

And it went BOING!

And it hit the Green Goblin instead!

And it went beep, beep, POOF!

And it blew up the Green Goblin instead

Because there was a trampoline in the wall!

So glad there was trampoline in the wall.