AT DUSK
Highlighting MN Composers
Saturday August 22 at 7:00pm
North Minneapolis Penn Ave
(address given to RSVPs)
production leaders:
Ashley Ng
Jason Wells
PROGRAM
Nine Stories
by Isaac Mayhew
strings, piano, vocals/narrator
Bass & Cello Duos
by Michael Maiorana
double bass & cello
Reservoir
by Michael Maiorana
violin & viola
Glimmer
by Shruthi Rajasekar
double bass solo
Light & Dark
by Asuka Kakitani
voice, violin, cello
Owls & Trees
by Asuka Kakitani
string quartet
Nine Stories
written by Del Mayhew
The wind blew hot and dry.
April’s rains had come and gone.
The earth took on a parched look.
Like a man in the desert.
The dirt and sand were everywhere,
with no protection from the wind.
It was our way of life.
And water was expensive.
It cost three cents a gallon!
You couldn’t always trust the water man,
but nobody dared complain.
Father worked nights as a carpenter’s helper. He attempted to sleep during the day, but more often than not, the oppressive heat would keep him awake. Then he would sit at the kitchen table, drinking coffee laced with sugar and condensed milk. Sometimes he would go outside and lean against the old Pontiac. His frown as he gazed over the dry yard suggested he was deep in thought and not to be disturbed.
And on a day like this,
he decided that we needed
to move the outhouse that stood in our yard.
And he enlisted me to help him.
The ground was as hard as concrete. The spade only managed to loosen a little of the surface sand before it struck solid clay baked to stone. The spade would not even dent the clay.
“Guess this calls for a crowbar,” he announced. “Got to find some way to break through the crust.”
The ground was still too dry,
and that was even with the crowbar.
My father tried using water next,
dumping out our whole supply.
I watched him empty out the pail.
But I kept my mouth shut,
although I knew this was foolish.
He gave me back the bar
and instructed me to dig.
But when I jabbed at the mud,
I was drenched by the puddle.
Just then, my mother did appear.
And her face was red with anger.
For we had used up all the water.
The whole mess had been in vain.
By now, Father was fully aware of what he had done. Instinctively he stepped backward to escape her anger. His foot slipped on the wet clay. He went down with a tremendous splash into the pool of water. The look of surprise and exasperation told me that he was not hurt. Mud sprayed everything in sight, including Mother and me.
A big chunk of clay slowly detached itself from Mother’s dress and slipped to the ground. She gasped, turned on her heel, and marched for the house.
I did not even smile as I helped Father out of the muddy hole. His tern look prevented any laughing. Without a word, he stomped across the yard after Mother. Leaving everything where it was, I raced down the street to the lumber yard. There, leaning against the protective pile of boards, I at last expressed my emotions. I laughed and laughed until I was weak.
The project was abandoned.
And soon the water had dried up.
The next day’s meals used no water.
Of this, we never spoke again.
Light & Dark
Text permission by NSF’s NOIRLab and to Globe at Night, the international citizen science campaign on light pollution. https://globeatnight.org
A little more than 100 years ago,
you could walk outside at night even in a city and see the Milky Way galaxy arch across the night sky.
Being able to see thousands of stars was part of everyday life.
Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light.
Too much light pollution has consequences:
it washes out starlight in the night sky,
interferes with astronomical research,
disrupts ecosystems,
has adverse health effects and wastes energy.
Can you find Orion?
Can you find?
Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light.
Too much light pollution has consequences:
it washes out starlight in the night sky,
interferes with astronomical research,
disrupts ecosystems, has adverse health effects and wastes energy.
I can't see you
I can't find you
I can't see you
I can't find you
I can't see you
I can't find you
I can't ah ah ah
​
It can confuse the migratory patterns of animals,
alter competitive interactions of animals,
change predator-prey relations,
and cause physiological harm.
The rhythm of life is orchestrated by the natural diurnal patterns of light and dark;
so disruption to these patterns impacts the ecological dynamics.
Can you find Orion?
Can you find? Can you?
Light and Dark
Light and Dark
A little more than 100 years ago,
you could walk outside at night even in a city
and see the Milky Way galaxy arch across the night sky.
Composers
Asuka Kakitani
Asuka Kakitani (she/her) is a Japanese-born composer, conductor, and educator based in Minnesota. Deeply inspired by nature, Kakitani transforms her visions into vivid musical narratives that reflect personal perspectives, rich imagination, and themes including societal and environmental issues. Her work spans jazz large ensembles, orchestras, chamber groups, vocal music, electroacoustic compositions, and film scores.
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Her music has been described as “a musical impressionist and supreme colorist” (Hot House Magazine) and “the overflowing world of inspirational melody” (DownBeat Magazine). Kakitani’s compositional voice has garnered numerous awards and grants, including SOLI Chamber Ensemble’s 30x30x30 Project, the Concept Lab at the Chamber Music America Conference, the New Music USA Creator Fund, the Innova Recordings Spring National Call, the Jerome Fund for New Music (now ACF|Create), and multiple grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. She has also received fellowships from the Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, the Minnesota Upstream Artist Fellowship, and the McKnight Fellowship.
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Her compositions have been performed by esteemed performers and ensembles such as the Thalea String Quartet, Quince Ensemble, Shannon Wettstein, Unheard-of// Ensemble, Zeitgeist New Music Ensemble, and the JazzMN Orchestra, as well as numerous college ensembles across the U.S. and Japan. Her commissioned works have been featured at events including the Boulanger Initiative’s Women Composers Festival, the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, and in recordings such as Grammy-nominated producer Ryan Truesdell’s SYNTHESIS. As a bandleader, Kakitani led the Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra, whose debut album Bloom (2013) was recognized in NPR Music’s Jazz Critics Poll and DownBeat Magazine’s Critics’ Poll for Best Debut Albums. After relocating to Minnesota, she began co-leading the Inatnas Orchestra.
photo credit Bryan Murray
Michael Maiorana
Michael Maiorana is a composer in Minnesota who enjoys finding inspiration in nature, science, and art. After graduating from Grinnell College in rural Iowa, he studied composition, harmony, and counterpoint at the European American Musical Alliance in Paris. Some of his recent projects include a 30 minute live remote choral piece setting a speech by WPA director Harry Hopkins, a 20 minute wind quintet inspired by paintings of trees, and a set of short pieces for bass guitar, loop pedal, and video.
Michael has participated in Minneapolis/St. Paul composition workshops including VocalEssence Remix, Magpies & Ravens Lineage and the Nautilus Composer-Librettist Studio, and has attended the Lehigh University Choral Composition Forum and the University of Missouri Kansas City Composition Workshop. His music has been performed by such ensembles as Lumina, newEar, Zeitgeist, 10th Wave, and andPlay. Michael is a member of ASCAP.
Isaac Mayhew is a composer and trumpet player based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has been commissioned or programmed by a variety of ensembles including Zeitgeist, the Rochester New Music Ensemble, the Lawrence University Symphonic Band, the Beltline Bones, The _____ Experiment, Sputter Box, Front Porch, and the Zenith Saxophone Quartet, as well as by soloists such as Nikki Melville and Drew Hosler. His music has been performed in cities across the United States and appears on several recordings, including Audiogenica (2024, Beltline Bones), we grow accustomed to the dark, vol. 1 (2022), Convergence (2021, Zenith Saxophone Quartet), Walking Songs (2020), Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box (2020, Sputter Box), why can’t the world be poetic (2019), and Liquid Jungle (2017, Liquid Jungle Quintet).​
Isaac Mayhew
In addition to his work as a composer, Isaac is an active performer and advocate for new music. He is a founding member of the Liquid Jungle Quintet and currently performs with Lemonbrass, a Twin Cities-based brass quintet dedicated to music by living composers. As a trumpet player, he has commissioned, premiered, or recorded works by Anat Spiegel, Daniel Whitworth, Nebal Maysaud, Evan Williams, Jonathan Posthuma, Emily Boyajian, Thomas Myrmel, and Conner Leigh Shaw.
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Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition, cum laude, from Lawrence University, where he studied with Asha Srinivasan, Joanne Metcalf, and Benjamin Klein. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Millennium Composers Initiative, a collective of over one hundred early-career composers from across the U.S. and beyond, working together to create bold, collaborative projects that bring new music to life. He is also a board member of RenegadeEnsemble, a Twin Cities-based organization dedicated to building audiences for contemporary vocal and instrumental chamber music in Minnesota.
Shruthi Rajasekar
Named a composer "who will enrich your life"
by The Guardian, Shruthi Rajasekar, ARNCM
(b. 1996) is an Indian-American musician whose work highlights identity, community, and joy.
Shruthi is a 2025 ACF McKnight Composer Fellow with the American Composers Forum, a fellowship given to "outstanding mid-career artists." She was made an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music (ARNCM) "in recognition of exceptional contributions made to the music profession" and was awarded a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship for "taking creative risks." Shruthi's compositions have won numerous honors, including the KHORIKOS ORTUS International Award, the Composers Guild of New Jersey Award, and the Global Women in Music Award from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights & Donne in Musica Adkins Chiti Foundation. BBC Music Magazine named Shruthi a 2020 Rising Star. Performed in North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall (London, UK), the Cannes Film Festival (France), the National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai, India), and Victoria Hall (Singapore), Shruthi's music has additionally reached thousands of listeners across the world on BBC Radio 3 & 4, Spotify's Official Classical Releases, Minnesota Public Radio, and more.
photo credit Roscoe Rutter
Shruthi's diverse output reflects her diasporic South Asian identity, her dual performance background in Carnatic (South Indian classical) and Western classical musics, and her belief in the importance of communal gathering and civic engagement. Recent projects include Sarojini (a large choral-orchestral and Indian ensemble composition about the Indian Independence Movement) and Whose Names Are Unknown (a choral-instrumental climate action and workers' rights piece), the multimedia work Parivaar commissioned by the Schubert Club, new vocal pieces for VOCES8, The Gesualdo Six, ORA Singers, Seattle Pro Musica, and Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music, and large ensemble, chamber, and solo instrumental works such as To ask is to listen, a new cross-genre composition commissioned by Wigmore Hall for Abel Selaocoe & the Hermes Experiment. In addition to working with today's leading musicians, Shruthi is passionate about composing for early performers and has created multiple educational pieces for ABRSM. Shruthi's work has been recorded by the BBC Singers, the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Maithree, Corvus Consort, Somerville College (University of Oxford), and Queens College (University of Cambridge), among others. In November 2021, her music was performed at the United Nations COP26. Shruthi has been an artist-in-residence at Britten Pears Arts (Snape, UK), Tusen Takk Foundation (Michigan, USA), and the Anderson Center (Minnesota, USA). ​
An award-winning Carnatic and Western classical vocalist, Shruthi is equally adept in traditional and experimental settings. She has performed at Kampenjazz (Oslo, Norway), Snape Maltings (Aldeburgh, UK), Kommune (Sheffield, UK), Source Song Festival (Minneapolis, USA), and Margazhi Ethnic New Year (Chennai, India), among other venues around the world. Her performance gurus and teachers have been her mother, the internationally renowned musician Vid. Nirmala Rajasekar, and Dr. Rochelle Ellis (Westminster Choir College), Jerry Elsbernd, and Patricia Rozario, OBE (Royal College of Music, UK). She received additional guidance in Carnatic music and musicology from the late vocal exponent Shri B. Seetarama Sarma and veteran scholar Dr. B.M. Sundaram. Honors during her studies include “Best On-Stage Presentation” at the national Carnatic Music Idol USA: Season 3 and first place at the Minnesota-NATS Competition. ​
Shruthi has been a guest presenter and/or composer-in-residence at the University of South Carolina, Reed College, Ahmedabad University, Westminster Choir College, University of Western Ontario, St. Olaf College, University of Minnesota, and more. Shruthi is an Honorary Music Patron of Hertfordshire Chorus and serves on the board of directors for the international artist center Anderson Center and for new music chamber ensemble Zeitgeist. She completed her Marshall Scholarship in the United Kingdom at SOAS, University of London (M.Mus. Ethnomusicology, Supervisors: Richard Widdess and Richard Williams) and the Royal Northern College of Music (M.Mus. Composition, Teachers: Adam Gorb and Laura Bowler). Shruthi graduated with the Edward T. Cone Prize from Princeton University, where she received composition instruction from Donnacha Dennehy, Barbara White, Andrew Lovett, Dan Trueman, and Juri Seo.
MUSICIANS
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Kelsey began her studies in viola at the age of 8 in Eden Prairie, MN, and is Associate Principal of the South Dakota Symphony and a member of the Stone Arch String Quartet. She received her undergraduate degree from the Eastman School of Music in 2011 and her masters of music degree in the spring of 2013, under the direction of Professor George Taylor. Kelsey was a member of the Selden string quartet, who has performed and studied with the Takacs string quartet, and has travelled to Maryland, Washington and Idaho to share its love of chamber music with elementary school students through outreach programs. Kelsey was also a member of the Eastman Quartet, who has performed in New York City, Cherry Valley, as well as Washington D.C. – In order to perform at Obama’s second presidential inauguration luncheon! She enjoys spending her free time at the beach and baking pies.
Elwyn A Fraser Jr is a natural baritone with a 4.5 octave range and dynamic speaking voice. Over the past 12 years, Elwyn has worked with Sounds of Blackness, VocalEssence, St. Olaf Choir, MN Chorale, and numerous individual collaborations across the nation. Elwyn has lent his voice to thousands across venues spanning from Ireland to London and from Orchestra Hall to Carnegie Hall. Critics and professional artists alike have described his vocal gravitas as “purposeful”, “eloquent”, “comedic”, “incredible”, and “atmosphere changing”. He finds dynamic music and empathic narration to be a universal language to the heart. Elwyn desires to tear down divides and uplift souls on their journey to greater purpose in life and healthy fellowship with mankind.
A native of Minnesota, Dr. April Ryun Kim is currently Assistant Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. She has given numerous performances as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician, showcasing a broad range of repertoire. She has been featured as a soloist with the St. Olaf Orchestra as senior soloist and has won winning prizes from competitions including Thursday Musical and Schubert Club. As a collaborative pianist, she has performed with artists including Micah Wilkinson, principal trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony, percussionist Eri Isomura, and pianist William Chapman Nyaho. As a passionate advocate for new music, Dr. Kim regularly performs works by living composers. ​ Dr. Kim holds a DMA in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, an MM in Solo and Collaborative Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a BM in Piano Performance with a Collaborative Emphasis from St. Olaf College.
Dr. Ashley Ng, Minnesota violinist, is a freelance musician and music teacher based in the Twin Cities. Serving as the Associate Principal Second Violinist with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Ashley enjoys performing in orchestral and chamber music ensembles throughout the Midwest. Ashley is proud to be a faculty member of the MacPhail Center for Music where she began her musical studies as an 8-year-old. She is involved as a private instructor and frequently works with group classes and summer camps. Ashley also enjoys her role as a conductor with the New Horizons Orchestra working with adult string players and also leading the Adult Summer Strings Retreat. In addition to completing her Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Minnesota, Ashley also holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory and a Master’s degree from Boston University in violin performance.
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Amanda is a proud two-time graduate from Arizona State University. Her musical journey has taken her from the National Repertory Orchestra to the Symphony of the Southwest and West Valley Symphony. Currently, she plays in the South Dakota Symphony and lives in St. Paul, MN where she freelances and works in finance. When not playing the violin, she likes to unwind with racing cars and dancing
Rosa Thompson-Vieira, a native of Minneapolis, enjoys a dynamic and ever evolving career as a professional cellist and teacher in the Twin Cities. She has appeared on Netflix’s most watched streaming original series of all time, Love is Blind, has performed on Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, and has performed with countless award winning musicians including Snoop Dogg, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Buble. She serves as cellist of the Lux String Quartet, participating in chamber music series and presenting educational workshops all across the Midwest. Recently Lux was awarded first place in the Charleston International Music Competition. Rosa performs in other chamber groups including Roma Duo, Quartet Du Nord, and the Delphia Cello Quartet. Thompson-Vieira’s orchestral playing includes the Minnesota Opera, South Dakota Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and was formerly the Assistant Principal cellist, often filling in as principal, of the Rochester Symphony. She has participated as a Class Notes Artist for Minnesota Public Radio for multiple seasons, and has spent the last decade working as a music educator with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, has taught at the University of Minnesota-Morris, and is currently on faculty at MacPhail as well as managing a private home studio. Thompson-Vieira studied with Allison Wells at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and Tanya Remenikova at the University of Minnesota, completing both her undergraduate and masters degree in cello performance.
Jason Wells serves as Executive Director of the 10th Wave Chamber Music Collective and is a versatile bassist whose career spans classical performance, education, and arts leadership. Based in Minneapolis, MN, he is a substitute musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, joining the SPCO for their 2024-2025 season and performing alongside outstanding musicians such as Tabea Zimmerman, Abel Selaocoe, and Jasmine Choi. Prior to this, he performed with various orchestras across the Midwest, including the Des Moines Symphony and the Sioux City Symphony. ​ Beyond the classical stage, Jason's versatility spans genres from jazz and gospel to tango and folk. His diverse performance career has taken him across the United States and internationally. In 2023, he toured Qatar, Türkiye, and Bulgaria with the folk band Barbaro as part of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program, American Music Abroad. ​ Jason is a passionate educator who provides private bass lessons and leads workshops and coaching sessions at numerous middle and high schools throughout the Twin Cities metro area, as well as masterclasses at universities throughout the Midwest. He is also a dedicated champion of contemporary classical music, working with local composers to bring new works for the bass to life. ​ He is an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy and earned his bachelor's degree from DePaul University, where he studied under Robert Kassinger of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.