Catharine's Composition Projects

I've been singing and doing other musical activities since about fourth grade. In high school I started putting the poems of my friend Jim Girard to music using Music Construction Set running on an Atari 1040 ST. I've since moved up to Sibelius - and a MIDI keyboard.

Please feel free to perform any of this music. Just don't make any money off it. I'd really appreciate it if you'd (1) let me know you're performing a piece of mine by emailing me, and (2) send me a recording of the performance. Thank you!!!

The format of this page has changed slightly. The focus is now on allowing you to get to the compositions themselves without having to deal with a lot of text. A brief note is given on most of the completed works; some have separate pages with more extensive notes.

Since changing to Sibelius for my composition software, I've started posting my compositions on my homepage at sibeliusmusic.com. There's nothing new there yet, but there's a slightly updated version of the Nunc and a cleaner version of the Requiem there.

Completed Compositions

Settings of Jim Girard's poems:

Dawn's Lullaby
Liturgical music:

The Lord's Prayer
(premiere performance at Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside, 10/99)
Sanctus
Most of this piece was composed while I was a teaching assistant for a cell biology class. I was required to hold a weekly office hour to assist any student who chose to come. Over a period of ten weeks or so, I was visited by a grand total of two or three students. I had plenty of time for composition as a result.

Requiem
Written shortly after my grandmother, Eugenia Frothingham Lombard, died in January 2000. All but the last phrase was composed in only a couple of hours on the plane flight back home from Boston after her funeral.

Benedictus (solo version)
Conceived originally as soprano solo Benedictus, followed by choral Hosannas (which aren't done yet). I decided to do a complete edition just for soprano and organ - the other version will come later. Only took 16 months to put together!
Nunc Dimittis
Another surprise, inspired one night a few hours after our choir conductor had noted in rehearsal that most modern Nunc settings were "too weepy." First draft completed May 2004 - begun in January or February 2004. Premiere performance at Christ Church Portola Valley Woodside on 10/31/04.