About the Piece

Hear Aaryn's Other Music

Instrumentation:

Organ

Exclusionary Period:

1 year starting on Delivery date. (April 1, 2025 - April 1, 2026)

Project Description:

Epitaph uses the melody of the Epitaph of Seikilos, the first fully notated composition we have evidence of, and hones in on the meditative, almost minimalistic aspect of its sound. The key to this piece is how the harmony around the tune evolves despite generally being limited to three chords. The game of the piece is simply how to grow outward with very little.

Note: Epitaph and Evocations II are meant to be performed together on the same program with the former proceeding the latter and even overlapping. Though, these works may be performed separately.

Project Overview:

Recontextualizing the works of the past is something that I find an interesting challenge. How can you turn older material into something new and fresh? Taking older melodies out of the museum and into dialog with the now. This pair of works attempt to do that with some of our most ancient artifacts: the Epitaph of Seikilos and the Delphic Hymns to Apollon. The first of the two, Epitaph, focuses on the meditative quality of the Epitaph tune and deviates very little from the source material; whereas the second, Evocations II, seeks to explore the fragmentary, almost implied nature of the Delphic Hymn to explore deeper truths as an oracle may grasp at prophetic visions of the divine.

Companion Piece: Click Here to access the Viola & Piano companion project.

Project Budget:

Composer Fee - $2,000

First Edition Printing Allotment - $250

NWP Overhead - $750

About the Composer

Visit Aaryn's Website

Composer Bio:

Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill (b. 1992) hails from Troy, MO, currently based out of Kansas City, MO. With a focus on reflecting the queer experience, Ricucci-Hill writes with intentionality and care to craft bespoke musical environments engaging with the complexities and sometimes banalities of queer life.

Ricucci-Hill has a passion for fruitful collaborations. Their journey has led them to work with a wide variety of ensembles, organizations, and musicians. Notable partnerships include Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Don-Paul Kahl (saxophone), Longy’s Divergent Studio, the I Exist Project, The Troubled Euphs, Playground Ensemble, the Plaza Winds, and Musica Nova. Ricucci-Hill’s music has been featured at various conferences and festivals including Zodiac Music Festival (2016), Oregon Bach Festival (2018), CMS Northeastern Conference (2023), and the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) conference (2023). Additionally, their work has been recognized with honors from the Abundant Silence Composition Competition (2017, Forest Rituals) and in the ASCAP Morton Gould competition (2021, Colors of Pride (honorable mention)).

Beyond composition, they currently have the honor of serving as Vice President of the Festival for Creative Pianists and their publishing arm, Abundant Silence (2022-present). In addition, they have worked closely with No Divide KC on crafting their call-for-scores for the annual Come As You Are event since 2021. Formerly, they sat on the Board of Directors for the Gateway Festival Orchestra of St. Louis for three seasons and is also an alum of Phi Mu Alpha-Pi Zeta chapter.

They graduated from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC with their B.M and M.M in Composition (2018, 22’).

How to Participate

Thank you for supporting the creation of new music through New Works Project! Here's how you can join this exciting journey:

For questions or assistance, please reach out to us at info@newworksproject.org.

"Epitaph" by Aaryn S. Ricucci-Hill

Organ

Team Members