Gemini

co-composed with Gabriel L. Newvine, commissioned by and written for Joseph Wolf

premiered March 30, 2025 - North American Saxophone Alliance Region 8 Conference, Esber Rehearsal Hall, Penn State University (State College, PA)

[program notes collaboratively written by the composers]

Gemini is a piece for Saxophone and Piano. This piece, commissioned by our good friend and colleague Joseph Wolf, is an astrological exploration of how we work collaboratively as composers. When Joe approached us with the proposition of composing a work together, we were a little hesitant, as most composers never work in such a collaborative way. After realizing that this would be an interesting challenge, we decided to focus on astrology, and more specifically, Gemini, as we both have this in our star charts, and, in a way, we resemble the two faces of Gemini (especially considering we have the same name). Each movement of the work is inspired by specific parts of our star charts.

I: Taurus explores the sun sign of Gabriel L. Newvine. Gabe, born on April 20th, sits on the cusp between Aries and Taurus. This closeness to both signs lends a chaotic dichotomy to the work. The movement revels in the strict and structured energy of a Taurus while fighting to keep it together due to the chaotic nature of an Aries. Eventually, neither wins, and both simply burn out.

II: Scorpio | Virgo explores the moon signs of both composers. According to Co-Star, "The moon rules your emotions, moods, and feelings. This is likely the sign you most think of yourself as..." This movement dances between the two signs, with frequent collisions and turns when one sign takes over. This movement was written in the style of Exquisite Corpse, where each person is given a small chunk to write, and then the other must add on to it without taking inspiration from it, much like a sewn together doll.

III. Soleil references Gabriel Gekoskie’s sun sign: Gemini. Carrying the weight of presumption, the Gemini sun sign’s multifaceted nature is often reduced to inauthentic ‘two-facedness.’ This movement aptly follows a loose binary form with internal, sonic references to the other three movements. “Soleil” is an unexpected moment of reprieve before the final movement.

IV: Ascendent is the final movement of this work and explores the rising signs of both composers. Your ascendent sign is generally considered to be the mask you put on to impress others and make it through the world. This movement echoes this social dance by maintaining a light tone, which never offends and simply floats along. It continues this charade until the very end of the work, where it simply can't act anymore and explodes off of the page. This movement was the most collaborative of the work, as every single decision made was discussed by both composers.

Thank you again to the wonderful Joseph Wolf for commissioning this work and making it come to life!