Part One:

Why does everyone love George Bizet's Carmen? What does Bizet do, both musically and dramatically, to make this timeless work of art so effective? In Part I of this dissertation, I focus an aspect of these questions, namely, what makes the final scene, Don José and Carmen's last duet, so powerful? How does Bizet create an atmosphere of utter despair? I believe the answer lies in part with Bizet's use of off-stage music.

In this dissertation, I explore the dramatic function of each off-stage musical instance in the opera. I also include analyses of other musical and dramatic passages that are either related to the off-stage passages, or to themes of space and distance. I conclude that Bizet's continuous use of off-stage music heightens the dramatic tension of each act and ultimately propels the drama toward the final scene. Thus, when Bizet uses off-stage music in the final scene, he is able to create eerie, disturbing on-stage silences that frame the tragic ending.

Part Two:

Part II of my dissertation is a portfolio of compositions. The majority of these works were presented during my Ph.D. recital on June 3, 2012. A Game was played by the UCSB symphony during their winter term concert in 2009. UCSB's Ensemble for Contemporary Music programmed Quilt I on a concert in late May 2012.

I:

The first portion of this document is an in-depth analysis and full score of my work, At Any Point, for viola solo, chamber ensemble, live electronics, and video, premiered on March 5th, 2016 at the Museum of Art, Design, and Architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This work was composed for this dissertation with the goal of exploring the possibilities of audience interaction and video manipulation in a concert work. At Any Point is inspired by the concept of physical time and uses words by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as a jumping-off point. The treatment and visualization of time in the work is a main focus in this document in addition to the technical design, musical form, and compositional process.

II:

A portfolio of compositions including:

if it stops for chamber ensemble and fixed media

Smack the Wrist Good for guitar duo and spoken word

Slow Burn for clarinet and live electronics