Duos and Trios American Wild Ensemble

• Aaron Travers (b. 1975): Stillwater Marsh:
• 1Travers: Stillwater Marsh09:13
• David Clay Mettens (b. 1990): Avaloch Sketches:
• 2Mettens: Avaloch Sketches: I. Floating05:01
• 3Mettens: Avaloch Sketches: II. Aggressive01:23
• 4Mettens: Avaloch Sketches: III. Sinuous02:59
• 5Mettens: Avaloch Sketches: IV. Playful, Quirky04:17
• David Liptak (b. 1949): Two Nocturnes:
• 6Liptak: Two Nocturnes: I. Stone and Leaf05:49
• 7Liptak: Two Nocturnes: II. Under Starry Skies06:32
• Margaret Brouwer (b. 1940): Fear, Hiding, Play:
• 8Brouwer: Fear, Hiding, Play13:30
• Total Runtime48:44

Info for Duos and Trios

This album collects several of our recent commissions written for a portion of our larger septet: two flute, clarinet, and cello trios and two flute and cello duos. We can’t wait to share these incredible new works by Aaron Travers, David Clay Mettens, David Liptak, and Margaret Brouwer. Each of these works responds to nature in a different way and explores a variety of familiar and extraordinarily unfamiliar timbres and techniques to showcase these instruments in creative and unexpected ways.

The intrepid American Wild Ensemble was formed around a project to perform new works in national parks in the US, and has continued to create exciting events outdoors in unconventional spaces, from caves to mountaintops. Their recording, Duos and Trios, features four works for combinations of cello, clarinet, and flute by Aaron Travers, David Liptak, Margaret Brouwer, and David Clay Mettens that reflect the ensembles penchant for deriving inspiration from the natural world.

American Wild Ensemble

American Wild Ensemble
The American Wild Ensemble’s Music in the American Wild initiative began in 2016 with a commissioning project inspired by and performance tour of American national parks, in honor of the National Park Service centennial. Since our initial tours performing in unconventional venues, from caves to mountaintops, American Wild Ensemble has continued to celebrate American places, historic figures, and events by commissioning new works and performing them in site-inspired and site-specific locations. Since 2016 we have commissioned over 30 new works for 2-7 performers, with the support of organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, Mid-America Arts Alliance, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, New Music USA, and more, for performances in both traditional and nontraditional venues across the country, from Tennessee to Hawaii. We emphasize audience engagement through thoughtful, thematic programming and performance design, aiming to offer a cohesive experience that connects listeners to the spaces around them through music designed with those spaces in mind.

Through our Music in the American Wild initiative and beyond, American Wild Ensemble specializes in context-driven programming that encourages our audiences to explore their environments through a different lens, engage with contemporary music in a new way, and foster the sense of community between performers, listeners, and the spaces that surround them. We design programming that is unique to each of our partnering organizations or locations, offering cohesive, site-inspired performances, workshops, and special events that support and reflect the vision of our collaborators.

American Wild Ensemble is co-directed by flutist Emlyn Johnson and cellist Daniel Ketter.

American Wild Ensemble celebrates the people, places, and stories that shape American history and culture through the commission and performance of new music.

Booklet for Duos and Trios