Solo and Duo Works
Looking Through the Closed Door
9’, for clarinet and piano
Looking through the Closed Door was commissioned by Roddy Terrell as part of the Shifting Silence project which aims to explore elements of grief. This work examines my own experiences with depression, which has at times encouraged me to sink into the comfort of prolonged isolation, ignoring my responsibilities and the people I love. I imagine this work as a look back at a younger version of myself who couldn’t see a way out of that solitude, and the very beginnings of the transformation toward the person that I am now, surrounded by the people and support structures who sustain me.
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Commissioned as part of a consortium led by Roddy Terrell and including generous support from Julianne Doyle, Joanna Wiltshire, Robert DiLutis, Taylor Stirm, McKinley Baker, and John Griffin
Fear No Failure
5.5’, for violin and marimba
Fear No Failure was written in 2019 as I began my teaching tenure at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC. The work is based on the school’s alma mater, written by the legendary Jon Jeffrey Grier, and was written for percussionist Wesley Strasser and violinist Jennifer John, my two colleagues and dear friends who joined the school at the same time. Like the title implies, the work is an encouragement to the three of us to fear no failure, no matter what comes.
Meditation on "Divinum Mysterium"
4', for solo organ
Meditation on "Divinum Mysterium" was commissioned by my friend and colleague Kyle Ritter in honor of The Reverend Andrew T.P. Merrow in celebration of his thirty years of ministry at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Arlington, VA, and was premiered by Mr. Ritter at an organ recital at St. Mary's in the spring of 2016.
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First Light (in progress)
25', for solo piano
First Light is a collection of 11 short movements for solo piano based on a series of photographs by my sister, Virginia Hunter. Each of her photographs is an incredible fixed moment in time, yet is paradoxically packed with movement, drama, and emotion. As she puts it:
“Dawn is a time of transition, where the city begins to move from artificial light to natural light, from sleeping to waking, and from private to public spaces. It’s an ephemeral moment, where the city seems to pause before resuming its manic pace again. My initial curiosity in these transitions evolved into a morning ritual of my own.
As I wandered through still streets, only a few hardy, work-worn souls stirred around me. In this quiet, meditative hour, I found a strange escape from the claustrophobic spaces and the sensory overload that characterized my daily life. With my camera, I seek to capture moments where I feel removed one step from reality. These photographs are my attempt to discover beauty in a dystopian landscape.”
Four of these eleven were premiered on a recital in the Spring of 2013 by Hailey Darnell.
Contact the composer at samuel [at] samuelhunter [dot] net if you are interested in a perusal score or performing sections of this work.
Strange as Lightning
3', for solo flute
Strange as Lightning was commissioned by one of my close friends, Will Smith (not the actor), as a surprise engagement gift for his talented flautist then-girlfriend (now wife) Sarah Pass. It is written in an expanding variations form, where you hear slightly more of the melody with each repetition.
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Thomerson
3', for solo organ
Thomerson was first performed by John Meier during the Fall of 2013.
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Songs from Appalachia
7', for clarinet and bassoon
Songs from Appalachia is a six-movement work, each based on various tunes and styles heard in the mountains of North Carolina. It was first performed by clarinetist Alexandra Doyle (by whom Green in Steel on the Chamber Music page was commissioned) and bassoonist Ellis Montes during the Spring of 2013.
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Passacaglia
3', for two tubas
Click here to download a free copy of Passacaglia, distributed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License
Sul Ross
3', for solo flute
Sul Ross was written during the Spring of 2012, upon finding a quiet spot in the middle of Houston at Menil Park on (Sul Ross Street).
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The Scent of Rain on Dry Earth
5', for vibraphone and marimba
I moved from Asheville, North Carolina to Houston, Texas in the summer of 2011 with two of my closest friends, also from the Carolinas. None of us were prepared for the heat, or for the drought being experienced by the city. This piece was written months later, during the first real rainfall after months of drought. The title is a translation of the greek petrichor, literally meaning "the scent of rain on dry earth". The piece is dedicated to my dear friend and fantastic percussionist Rebecca McDaniel.
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Taps at Evening
2', for trumpet and trombone
Taps at Evening, as the title might suggest, is a fantasia on "Taps". It was commissioned by Forest Newark and Paul Laches, two of my colleagues from Furman University, for their senior undergraduate recital and in honor of their service in the United States Armed Forces. The work was first performed on the Modern Music Foundation's annual New Composers concert in Houston, TX, in the Spring of 2012.
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Improvisation on "Veni Emmanuel"
2', for solo 'cello
Written over the Christmas holiday of 2010, this is a short, improvisatory work for solo 'cello, written for my dear friend and composer/soprano/cellist Frances Pollock.
Click here to download a free copy of Improvisation on "Veni Emmanuel", distributed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License
Meditations of Lao Tzu
10', for clarinet and percussion
Meditations of Lao Tzu is a six-movement work, each movement based on a section of the Tao Te Ching, written by Lao Tzu. The percussionist plays crotales, brake drums, and congas. The work was written for clarinetist Erik Franklin and was performed by Erik and percussionist Edward Olive in the Spring of 2011.
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Portraits
5', for solo flute
Portraits is a three-movement work, each musically describing a close friend of mine. It was written for Tiffany Bishop and first performed in Arezzo, Italy, in the Fall of 2009. The premiere performance can be found on the Look / Listen page.
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Autumn Inventions
9', for two violins
A piece in three movements for two violins: I. Leaves | II. Romance | III. Dance