Commissioned by Sandra Wiese, member of the Onyx Circle, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation. World Premiere at the 2014 Mu Phi Epsilon Convention in Sacramento, CA. on July 30, 2014 with former winners of the Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition Jorge Avila, violin, Marek Szpakiewicz, cello and Yukiko Sekino, piano performing the Premiere. I was honored to be the guest speaker at the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation's 50th Anniversary luncheon and to give a Workshop during the convention.

A uniquely beautiful setting of a beloved carol...

A uniquely beautiful setting of a beloved carol...

A playful, fun work commissioned by The Arundo Chamber Ensemble and premiered at IDRS in Boulder, CO 2022

A playful, fun work commissioned by The Arundo Chamber Ensemble and premiered at IDRS in Boulder, CO 2022

On setting and respecting...

A fun mashup of everyone's favorites! Arranged for flute, clarinet, and piano.

A wonderful melodious reed trio...

When Palisades Virtuos commissioned me to compose a work for their November 2014 concerti, I was told that the theme of the concert was "Music Borne out of Adversity". Another holocaust piece, I thought? Or maybe something to do with Ebola? Oh no. Too depressing. How was I to know that, at that exact time, my rescue dog, Dodger, would run away from a friend's home miles from where we live. Frightened and trying to find his way back home, he ended up even further away. Good fotune smiled down upon us! A kind and generous dog lover found him and held him in his car until we made our way to pick up this tired animal who was totally dehydrated and exhausted from running miles to who-knows-where. Those who know Los Angeles and the enormous distances between places and the number of cars know that this little creature had to cross many four-to-six lane boulevards and streets before his little legs could carry him no further. As Tennessee Williams said "the kindness of strangers" was, in this case, what saved my precious dog. To the homeless lady who held him, to my friend who drove me to him, and to the man who kept him safe in his car, I forever thank them, wherever they are.
The three movements are titled:
1. Three Dog Night - Each movement of "Dog Tales" has a story. The first movement, "Three Dog Night" refers to my dog-sitting for neighbors who have two dogs and go away frequently on long trips. One can only imagine what ensues during those long nights at my house trying to take care of three dogs. Hence, the irregular time signatures and the overlapping motifs.
2. The Artful Dodger - The second movement, "The Artful Dodger" is a tone poem to my dear dog who "artfully" managed to "dodge" the traffic and possible horrible outcomes on his journey.
3. Mutt & Jeff - The last movement, "Mutt & Steff", is a short and, I think, humorous homage to a chihuahua (think small dog=piccolo) and a great dane (bass clarinet) who try to figure out how to get along and live together.

Review from LucidCulture: 01/19/2014: Last night in the Lincoln Center neighborhood, the Fire Pink Trio defied the deep freeze with a fascinating performance that was by turns lively, kinetic and balmy, sponsored by the New York Viola Society. Flutist Debra Reuter-Pivetta, violist Sheila Browne and concert harpist Jacquelyn Bartlett began the evening with Doppler Effect, by Adrienne Albert. Essentially, what the composer does with the effect is very clever – she turns it into a vamp, which the trio latched onto with a verve that matched Albert’s intention of evoking a busy pedestrian plaza in Rome, and the challenge of finding calm amidst the bustle. This purposeful and nonchalantly catchy piece gave Reuter-Pivetta and Browne a chance to air out their resonant lower registers against Bartlett’s rhythmic drive, with some droll glissandoing doppler effects finally appearing as the bluster reached a crescendo.
The notion of writing a piece based on the findings of an Austrian mathematician who observed the increase and decrease in the pitch of sound when the source and observer are getting closer or further apart came to me while traveling through Italy and hearing the myriad sirens passing by through the dense traffic. The motif descends by a minor second returning to the original harmony combined with the repeated minor seconds portraying the incessant sounds of car horns. The melodic lines portray the vibrancy and sensuality of the people in contrast to the craziness around them.

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This version of Doppler Effect was premiered by Susan Greenberg, flute, David Riddles, bassoon, and Gayle Levant, harp and has been among the most popular versions of this piece.

The notion of writing a piece based on the findings of an Austrian mathematician who observed the increase and decrease in the pitch of sound when the source and observer are getting closer or further apart came to me while traveling through Italy and hearing the myriad sirens passing by through the dense traffic. The motif descends by a minor second returning to the original harmony combined with the repeated minor seconds portraying the incessant sounds of car horns. The melodic lines portray the vibrancy and sensuality of the people in contrast to the craziness around them.

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This version of Doppler Effect was commissioned by Duo Viva, Alice Lenaghan, alto flute, and Mihoko Watanabe, flute and was premiered at The National Flute Association Convention in Pittsburgh, PA on August 11, 2006. This version has been recorded by Duo Viva on a CD aptly titled "Doppler Effect" and was released by Little Piper. Please see more information about the work under the original version of Doppler Effect for flute, viola and harp.

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Transcribed for Palisades Virtuosi for a concert in March, 2008, this version brings the number of Doppler Effect versions out in the world to 9! Actually, with the alto sax version, the number has jumped to 10! We are keeping counthere:-)!

Transcribed for the Zinkali Trio in New York, this version brings the number of Doppler Effect versions out in the world to 11.

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This is the latest, hot-off-the-presses version of Doppler Effect. Transcribed for The Rouseau Trio, this version brings the number of Doppler Effect versions to 12, and with the newest version for flute, bassoon and piano, the number has jumped to a Bakers Dozen and still counting!

This is the latest, hot-off-the-presses version of Doppler Effect. Transcribed for David Oyen of Morehead State University in Kentucky, this version brings the number of Doppler Effect versions to 14,

Yet another version of Doppler Effect, this one for Oboe, bassoon, and piano. Each version has its own unique and expressive sound.

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This version of Doppler Effect was adapted for two wonderful flute, 'cello and harp trios: Trio Carisma (Anna Stoddart, flute, Janice Preece, harp, Louise King, 'cello) in Brisbane, Australia and Trio Calisto (Linda Chatterton, Flute, Sally Gibson Dorer, Cello , and Min Kim, Harp) in Minnesota. Carisma has recorded Doppler Effect on their beautiful new CD on ABC Classics titled Lily's Eyes. To purchase this CD, click here.

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Premiered by Barry Socher, Violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Armen Ksajikian, co-principal cellist with the Los Angeles Chamber Symphony Orchestra and Bryan Pezzone, prominent pianist in the Southern California music scene, "Japanese Gardens" is the second of a series of pieces which have a common motif. Growing up in Southern California with its desert and Asian influences prompted me to design a garden in my house in the hills with a river of rocks and boulders surrounded by grasses and green plants. "Japanese Gardens" evolved out of the designing of this space. Peaceful, melodic, melancholy and richly textural, this work is suited to compliment most any program.

Growing up in Southern California with its desert and Asian influences prompted me to design a garden in my house in the hills with a river of rocks and boulders surrounded by grasses and green plants. "Japanese Gardens" evolved out of the designing of this space. Peaceful, melodic, melancholy and richly textural, this work is suited to compliment most any program.

Growing up in Southern California with its desert and Asian influences prompted me to design a garden in my house in the hills with a river of rocks and boulders surrounded by grasses and green plants. "Japanese Gardens" evolved out of the designing of this space. Peaceful, melodic, melancholy and richly textural, this work is suited to compliment most any program.

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This version of Lullaby for Piano Trio was requested by my friends from the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, The Newstead Trio, who loved the piece and asked me to transcribe a version for them. Happily, it is getting many performances and seems to be a hit with musicians and audiences alike. The MP3 version you can listen to is by the wonderful Alto Polis Trio recorded in a live performance in 2008. There is also a version for string orchestra.

"Lullaby for Three" is an extended version of "Lullaby" . This version is for c flute, viola and harp which I transcribed for a performance by The Debussy Trio. They performed it on a NACUSA/L.A. concert in January, 2012. This version is an extended version of the original with an upbeat middle section that features each of the beautiful instruments of the trio. The MP3 version you can listen to right now is for piano trio and is performed by the wonderful Alto Polis Trio recorded in a live performance in 2008. There is also a version for string orchestra.

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1. Seaside Sarabande
2. Lament
3. Rolling Waves
"Menage a Trio" for flute, clarinet and bassoon version was premiered by Susan Greenberg, flute and alto flute, Helen Goode-Castro, clarinet/bass clarinet, and Carolyn Beck, bassoon in Santa Monica, CA on July 13, 2010
“Menage a Trio” is a work for 3 instruments that began as a series of Baroque-style Inventions. The first movement, Seaside Sarabande, is based on the Baroque fugue with the instruments joining one another in a playful dance at the seashore. The second movement, a duet, calls for the lower voices of the flute and clarinet (alto flute and bass clarinet) titled Lament to Sara (dedicated to my friend who recently passed away whose name happened to be Sara – as in Sarabande). The final movement returns to the melodic voicing of the first movement with a triplet feel describing Rolling Waves.

“Menage a Trio” is a work for 3 instruments that began as a series of Baroque-style Inventions. The first movement, Seaside Sarabande, is based on the Baroque fugue with the instruments joining one another in a playful dance at the seashore. The second movement, a duet, calls for the lower voices of the English horn and clarinet (bass clarinet) titled Lament to Sara (dedicated to my friend who recently passed away whose name happened to be Sara – as in Sarabande). The final movement returns to the melodic voicing of the first movement with a triplet feel describing Rolling Waves.

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Composed in 2016

A lively, upbeat, playful work for these woodwinds with piano premiered at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall on 29 November 2022 in honor of Palisades Virtuosi 20th anniversary.

Swing Shift came about through a conversation with bassoonist, Christin Schillinger, who had been listening to songs from the 50s and 60s sung by the marvelous singers of the era, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn among others. We agreed that a new work for her (which she premiered at the 2013 International Double Reed Society Conference in Redlands) should have the feel of that era. Once I came upon the title, Swing Shift, the piece almost wrote itself. Swing Shift has just been released on a wonderful new CD titled Bassoon Unbounded [MS1653] with Christin Schillinger, bassoon, and Jed Moss, piano.

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