Fifteen Minutes of Meditation and Contemplation Featuring David Bohn

David Bohn was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1965. He holds degrees in music composition from the University of Wisconsin (B.M. 1987), the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (M.M. 1989), and the University of Illinois (D.M.A. 1994). His primary composition teachers were Joel Naumann, Yehuda Yannay, and William Brooks. He has taught theory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Illinois, and was for many years organist at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign. He is currently residing in West Allis, Wisconsin, and is an Associate Lecturer in the Music Department at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. He is active in the Organ Historical Society, and is currently the president of the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers.

Concert Dates

  • September 30, 2023 - 2:30 PM EDT (UTC-4)

Fifteen Minutes of Meditation and Contemplation Featuring David Bohn

  • Warera no michi

    E. R. E.Alva

    Time is the biggest mystery the humanity has to understand itself. Life is essentially based in four elements united by time, the soul of the eternity.

    Born in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1997. Began his musical life at 9 years old. Began composing at 12 years old in a self-taught way. Nowdays teaches violin and viola in Sonora, Mexico.

  • The time of nectar

    Nantenaina Andriamorasata

    The piece is inspired by the time of Amritvela (the time of nectar is a sacred time in the Hindu culture). It's is to play in a state of peace and serenity.

    Music composer from Antananarivo - Madagascar, I study music with Mr Carson Rangers (music teacher based in Paris - France)

  • sāmayiktā

    Paul Beaudoin

    sāmayiktā is the Sanskrit word for "mindfulness." For this one minute composition (which can be expanded), a small set of pitch source material is cycled through a series of permutations that return to its "center."

    Paul Beaudoin is a globally recognized interdisciplinary artist now living in Tallinn, Estonia.

  • The Five Whys

    James Bohn

    The Five Whys is an iterative problem-solving technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda, considered one of the greatest Japanese inventors of all time. The technique involves asking the question why five times each time informed by the previous answer with the goal being to discover the root cause of a problem.

    James Bohn is a thereminist and composer who is the music program director at Stonehill College, where he teaches music theory and music technology. He has been guest composer at the 7-11 Festival (2001), Most Significant Bytes (2002), and the Florida International Toy Piano Festival (2018).

  • Still

    Michael Coleman

    The idea for this work was to give the effect of someone remaining still while experiencing a sense of uncertainty and apprehension. It was composed for and dedicated to David Bohn as part of his participation in the Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame project.

    Michael Coleman has participated as composer/pianist in numerous new music programs and festivals in the U.S and Russia and has also had works performed in North & Central America, Europe, and Eurasia. He currently teaches at Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida.

  • Cherry Blossoms on the Potomac

    Elizabeth Skola Davis

    The cherry blossom trees are the star of spring in the Washington, DC area, blooming from late March to early April. This vignette is of viewing the falling blooms as one gently steers a solitary rowboat along the western shoreline of East Potomac Park.

    Elizabeth Skola Davis has a diverse background in music performance, theory, and composition and was section cellist for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra for 17 years. She is currently principal cellist of the Columbia Orchestra and cellist/composer for Trinity Chamber Orchestra, both in Maryland.

  • An Eastern Miniature

    Alp Durmaz

    Although the piece sounds far eastern, it combines the features of Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern music. In terms of form (ABA), it’s Western. In terms of rhythmic structure (5/8), it’s Middle Eastern and in terms of modal structure (pentatonic), it’s Far Eastern.

    Alp Durmaz was born in İstanbul in 1974 and graduated from Bilkent University Composition Department in 2000. My works were performed in Turkey, United States, France, Italia, Ukraine, and Portugal. Five of my works won various prizes in 2010, 2011, and 2016.

  • The Welcome Silence Which Means He Will Soon Be Gone

    Karl Henning

    A quiet serene celebration of a welcome emptiness in one's life.

    Karl Henning holds a B.Mus. with double major in composition and clarinet performance from the College of Wooster (Ohio); a M.A. in composition from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville); and a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Buffalo, where he studied with Charles Wuorinen and Louis Andriessen.

  • Senza Gliss

    Stephen Lilly

    The score is a standard five-line staff. It has been reshaped into deformed circle, with the lines and spaces intertwining. The performer selects a point on this new staff and traces it around the circle, interpreting the warping of musical space as they see fit. Only glissandi are forbidden.

    Stephen Lilly is a DC-based composer, performer, audio engineer, and poet. Described as “dark ... demanding” (The Retriever) and “the sort of thing you are glad to have experienced without wanting to revisit” (The Washington Post), he mostly writes abstract or satirical works for friends and friends of friends.

  • Traditions NO BORDER

    Luigi Morleo

    Traditions NO BORDER si a new work by Luigi Morleo dedicated to David Bohn. My idea is to describe the traditions without borders.

    Luigi Morleo (born 16 November 1970 in Mesagne, Province of Brindisi) is an Italian percussionist and composer of contemporary music, who lives in Bari and teaches at the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory. He uses varied musical and artistic styles like minimalism, rock-cross-over, folk-Pop, jazz, electronica and DJ.

  • During the Fall

    Josh Schmidt

    Inspired by David Bohn's newfound passion for the Tashiogoto!

    Josh Schmidt is the award-winning composer of ADD1NG MACH1N3, Recent Recent credits includeMIDWESTERN GOTHIC (Signature DC/Royal Academy of Music, London), A MINISTER’S WIFE (Lincoln Center Theatre; Writer’s Theatre), WHIDA PERU (59E59) and GIFT OF THE MAGI (American Players Theatre.Upcoming Film work includes Joshua Oppenheimer’s THE END.

  • The Moon Rained Notes

    Silvia Simons

    The Moon Rained Notes is written with the theme of "Meditation & Contemplation" in mind. Hence,it leaves space to breathe, is minimal and uses the G drone as a kind of "Aum". Composing a 60 second piece is like writing a Haiku, I believe, a crystallized expression of something.

    Silvia Simons is a multi-award- winning composer, sound artist, performer & improvisor. Her works have been performed and broadcast in Australia, Europe and the US. She studied Music Composition & Theatre Arts at La Trobe University, Melbourne and engages in cross-art-form activities.

  • Prelude (Three Short Pieces #1)

    Chris Tilley

    “Prelude” is the first of a set of Three Short Pieces for Taishōgoto. It is the first work by Chris Tilley for taishōgoto.

    Chris Tilley (b.1970) studied composition with Luigi Zaninelli at the University of Southern Mississippi. Chris writes chamber music, solo piano music, music for dance, and many art songs, as well as original plays and musicals. His work has been performed around the US, and in several other countries.

  • Moth mind

    Charles Turner

    'Moth mind' is a tiny, fragile piece that evokes (for me) a kind of joyous solitude and quietness. I imagine it being played underground, surrounded by space and silence.

    Born in Iowa, studied voice and composition with wonderful teachers; lives in northeast Massachusetts since 1987. Performances of his works in the Boston area and Europe.

  • mountain echo

    Alex Unseth

    mountain echo is a piece symbolizing the tranquility that comes from solitude on a faraway mountain. Created sounds easily reverberate throughout the space and give a profound feeling of simultaneous expanse and loneliness, a place for perfect meditation.

    Alexander (Alex) Unseth is a current business student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has played cello and piano for most of his life and taught himself composition at an early age. Currently, his works have been performed in schools, churches, and other competitions.