Scaffolding was written in the fall of 2022. The piece approaches the writing of a piece in the same way as one might approach the construction of a building. The melodic and harmonic material explored throughout the work is heavily dependent on the contents of each successive movement, and can be heard returning on many occasions between the movements. Besides the musical material used, the percussionists physical location serves as a parameter as they slowly make their way across the stage, inhabiting the structure that is formed by the percussion setup. The first movement sees all three percussionists around a semicircle, representing the initial stages of construction. The music in this movement is strictly without pitch, and gradually becomes louder and more resonant. The second movement features all three percussionists around the vibraphone to explore a pitch-focused approach. Finally the last movement sees the three percussionists inhabit the entirety of the structure. With the musical material incorporating both pitched and unpitched elements and themes, the structure is finally complete.

The performers in this video are:

Charles Renneker - Percussion 1
Sebastião Sheldrick - Percussion 2
Kaden Smutz - Percussion 3

Thank you for listening!