Wendy Griffiths
Wendy Griffiths
Wendy Griffiths has composed chamber works, art songs, rock songs, orchestral works and dance scores. Her concert music has appeared on the Composers Concordance series, at the Merce Cunningham studio, the Manhattan School of Music, the Yale-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Storm King Music Festival, Music Under Construction (of which she is a founding member) and in Stockholm performed by the Acidophilus Ensemble. Her opera “The Quiet American,” was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. More recently she composed a chamber opera “The Crimson Sand,” based on the Gilgo Beach murders. Recently she was commissioned by the Double Entendre Double Reed ensemble to compose a work for six double reeds. She has also received grants from Meet the Composer, NYSCA and the American Music Center. Ms. Griffiths also composes for and appears as a keyboard player/singer/bassist with her band Changing Modes (www.changingmodes.com) with whom she has recorded 2 EPs and 10 full-length CDs. Her band performs regularly in lower Manhattan and on regional tours in the U.S. In addition, Ms. Griffiths works also as a ballet accompanist and currently plays for The Joffrey Ballet School and the School at Mark Morris. She has collaborated with numerous dance companies including Beth Soll, Carolyn Lord and Alison Cook Beatty. Ms. Griffiths holds a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.M. from the Mannes College of Music. She received her D.M.A. in music composition from the CUNY Grad Center where she studied with Thea Musgrave, Bruce Saylor and David Olan. She she has taught Songwriting and Music Theory in the Extension Division of the Mannes College of Music and currently teaches techniques of music in its College and Preparatory Divisions.
For Oboe and Piano
Year: 2024
Duration (in minutes): 7
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: solo woodwind with piano
Instruments: oboe, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/la-barca-de-aqueronte
Description: 1. The Dawn Treader
2. La Barca de Aqueronte
3. The Flying Dutchman
For Bass Baritone, Horn and Piano
Year: 2024
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: solo voice(s) with solo instruments
Instruments: baritone voice, horn, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/here-now-and-then-by-wendy
Description: 1. The Here and Nowness of Then 9text by Elaine Equi)
2. Old Heat (text by Lin Haire-Sargent)
3. Totem (text by Elaine Equi)
A Part Of/Apart From
Year: 2021
Duration (in minutes): 8
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
Instruments: piano, satb chorus
MP3 STREAM: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-753828182/a-part-of-apart-from-1
SATB and Piano
Year: 2018
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: choral
Instruments: piano, satb chorus
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/sets/songs-from-the-british-isles
Description: 1. Stroking Swan (text by Scott Eden)
2. The Noise of Waters (text by James Joyce)
3. The Fly (text by William Blake)
Rogue Taxidermny
Year: 2017
Duration (in minutes): 17 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: !. Consider the Hortle
2. Tortitude
3. Meowl
4. Lone Wolf
5. Zebra Prawn Blues
Crimson Sand
Year: 2016
Duration (in minutes): 35 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: opera
Description: A one-act Opera Noir set in an East Coast seaside community. Through the course of the opera, a lone detective seeks the man responsible for killing prostitutes he has picked up through the internet. He works against all odds, given the systemic corruption of the local police officials who may have been complicit in the cover-up or perhaps even the crime itself. The opera asks the question “just how much can money buy” in 21st century suburban America?
Walden Songs
Year: 2016
Duration (in minutes): 12 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
Description: !. O Cool is the Valley (Text by James Joyce)
2. Forgetfulness (Hart Crane)
3. North Labrador (Hart Crane)
4. Monet as a Verb (Matt Rasmussen)
Four Strong Winds for solo piano
Year: 2015
Duration (in minutes): 15 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano
Instruments: piano
Description: Written for Myungsook Wang
Yeats Songs
Year: 2013
Duration (in minutes): 15
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: 1) Adeh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, 2) Oil and Blood, 3) That Crazed Girl
String Quartet #2
Year: 2011
Duration (in minutes): 15
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: 5 Movements Total
For Guitar, piano, percussion and Bass
Year: 2011
Duration (in minutes): 8
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: mixed instrument quartet
Instruments: contrabass, guitar, percussion, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/05-griffiths-long-way-home
Dangerous Routines - for Flute, Clarinet and Piano
Year: 2005
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: small chamber ensembles - 2 to 4 players
Instruments: clarinet, flute, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/dangerous-routines
Four Character Pieces for Violin and Piano
Year: 2005
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Plains Indians - for Brass Nonette
Year: 2002
Duration (in minutes): 13
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: brass ensemble
Instruments: horn, trombone, trumpet
Sextet - for String Quartet, Clarinet and Piano
Year: 2001
Duration (in minutes): 13
Difficulty: High (professional)
Instruments: cello, clarinet, piano, viola, violin
Minima, Memory and Mirage - String Trio
Year: 2001
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano trio (vln, vc, pno)
Instruments: cello, piano, violin
Youtube Links: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kHCq9GqUed8&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwendygriffithsmusic.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY
Portraits in Transit - for Brass Trio
Year: 2000
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: brass trio
Instruments: horn, trombone, trumpet
Description: Three movements
1. The Magician
2. The Accordion Man
3. The Evangelist
Seven Places in America
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 12 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Three Movements: The Magician, The Accordion Man, The Evangelist
Latest Dance Craze -for solo piano
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 9 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano
Instruments: piano
Description: Written for Marija Ilich
Three Cabaret Songs
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 10
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of three Paul Auster poema
Quiet American
Year: 1998
Duration (in minutes): 1 hour 15 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: opera
Description: Based on the Graham Greene novel
Hive
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the Hart Crane poem
On the Beach at Fontana
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Noise of Waters
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Lights of Amethyst
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Blue Texture in a White Light
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
For Piano Trio (Aspen Trio)
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Dark Fidddler
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 9 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/thedarkfiddler
Description: 1. Treeman (Text by Jay Johnson)
2. Requiem (text by W. Griffiths)
3. The Dark Fiddler (Text by W.H. Auden)
Poeme for Orchestra
Year: 1992
Duration (in minutes): 9
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: orchestra and chamber orchestra
Welcome to Wonderland
Year: 2024
Composers: Wendy Griffiths and Yuzuru Sadashige
Label: Arabesque
Buy URL: https://music.apple.com/us/album/welcome-to-wonderland/1747900688
What September Brings
Year: 2019
Composers: Wendy Griffiths and Yuzuru Sadashige
Buy URL: https://music.apple.com/us/album/what-september-brings/1478783952
Views from the Keyboard
Year: 2022
Composers: Wendy Griffiths
Label: Arabesque
Product ID: https://open.spotify.com/album/3pQKUQU1BfMiN4T4yumZ78
Buy URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/3pQKUQU1BfMiN4T4yumZ78
For Oboe and Piano
Year: 2024
Duration (in minutes): 7
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: solo woodwind with piano
Instruments: oboe, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/la-barca-de-aqueronte
Description: 1. The Dawn Treader
2. La Barca de Aqueronte
3. The Flying Dutchman
For Bass Baritone, Horn and Piano
Year: 2024
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: solo voice(s) with solo instruments
Instruments: baritone voice, horn, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/here-now-and-then-by-wendy
Description: 1. The Here and Nowness of Then 9text by Elaine Equi)
2. Old Heat (text by Lin Haire-Sargent)
3. Totem (text by Elaine Equi)
A Part Of/Apart From
Year: 2021
Duration (in minutes): 8
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
Instruments: piano, satb chorus
MP3 STREAM: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-753828182/a-part-of-apart-from-1
SATB and Piano
Year: 2018
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: choral
Instruments: piano, satb chorus
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/sets/songs-from-the-british-isles
Description: 1. Stroking Swan (text by Scott Eden)
2. The Noise of Waters (text by James Joyce)
3. The Fly (text by William Blake)
Rogue Taxidermny
Year: 2017
Duration (in minutes): 17 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: !. Consider the Hortle
2. Tortitude
3. Meowl
4. Lone Wolf
5. Zebra Prawn Blues
Crimson Sand
Year: 2016
Duration (in minutes): 35 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: opera
Description: A one-act Opera Noir set in an East Coast seaside community. Through the course of the opera, a lone detective seeks the man responsible for killing prostitutes he has picked up through the internet. He works against all odds, given the systemic corruption of the local police officials who may have been complicit in the cover-up or perhaps even the crime itself. The opera asks the question “just how much can money buy” in 21st century suburban America?
Walden Songs
Year: 2016
Duration (in minutes): 12 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
Description: !. O Cool is the Valley (Text by James Joyce)
2. Forgetfulness (Hart Crane)
3. North Labrador (Hart Crane)
4. Monet as a Verb (Matt Rasmussen)
Four Strong Winds for solo piano
Year: 2015
Duration (in minutes): 15 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano
Instruments: piano
Description: Written for Myungsook Wang
Yeats Songs
Year: 2013
Duration (in minutes): 15
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: 1) Adeh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, 2) Oil and Blood, 3) That Crazed Girl
String Quartet #2
Year: 2011
Duration (in minutes): 15
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: 5 Movements Total
For Guitar, piano, percussion and Bass
Year: 2011
Duration (in minutes): 8
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: mixed instrument quartet
Instruments: contrabass, guitar, percussion, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/05-griffiths-long-way-home
Dangerous Routines - for Flute, Clarinet and Piano
Year: 2005
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: small chamber ensembles - 2 to 4 players
Instruments: clarinet, flute, piano
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/dangerous-routines
Four Character Pieces for Violin and Piano
Year: 2005
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Plains Indians - for Brass Nonette
Year: 2002
Duration (in minutes): 13
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: brass ensemble
Instruments: horn, trombone, trumpet
Sextet - for String Quartet, Clarinet and Piano
Year: 2001
Duration (in minutes): 13
Difficulty: High (professional)
Instruments: cello, clarinet, piano, viola, violin
Minima, Memory and Mirage - String Trio
Year: 2001
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano trio (vln, vc, pno)
Instruments: cello, piano, violin
Youtube Links: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kHCq9GqUed8&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwendygriffithsmusic.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY
Portraits in Transit - for Brass Trio
Year: 2000
Duration (in minutes): 11
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: brass trio
Instruments: horn, trombone, trumpet
Description: Three movements
1. The Magician
2. The Accordion Man
3. The Evangelist
Seven Places in America
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 12 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Three Movements: The Magician, The Accordion Man, The Evangelist
Latest Dance Craze -for solo piano
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 9 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: piano
Instruments: piano
Description: Written for Marija Ilich
Three Cabaret Songs
Year: 1999
Duration (in minutes): 10
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of three Paul Auster poema
Quiet American
Year: 1998
Duration (in minutes): 1 hour 15 min
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: opera
Description: Based on the Graham Greene novel
Hive
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the Hart Crane poem
On the Beach at Fontana
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Noise of Waters
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Lights of Amethyst
Year: 1995
Duration (in minutes): 2
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Description: Setting of the James Joyce poem
Blue Texture in a White Light
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
For Piano Trio (Aspen Trio)
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 12
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Dark Fidddler
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 9 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: choral
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/user-753828182/thedarkfiddler
Description: 1. Treeman (Text by Jay Johnson)
2. Requiem (text by W. Griffiths)
3. The Dark Fiddler (Text by W.H. Auden)
Poeme for Orchestra
Year: 1992
Duration (in minutes): 9
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: orchestra and chamber orchestra
Views from the Keyboard
Year: 2022
Composers: Wendy Griffiths
Label: Arabesque
Product ID: https://open.spotify.com/album/3pQKUQU1BfMiN4T4yumZ78