Jessi Harvey
Jessi Harvey is an American composer.
Jessi Harvey is a Montana-born, American freelance composer and teacher, gardener and reader, thinker and walker. Also known as George, their works are based in nature, integrating social curiosity, humor, and a love of knowledge; described as “full of surprises and consistently attention-holding” and as well as “diving into the absurd corners of the human condition - the moments where you have to laugh so you don’t cry”. Works have spanned the tides, the eruption histories of volcanos, the life cycle of the potato, and the relationships between humanity and nature.
TATER DREAMS
Clarinet and Looper;
Bass Clarinet and Looper;
2021
Contact composer
12:00
Self-Published
A meditation on the cycle of birth, growth, and death through the eye of the potato. Both inane and majestic, meaningful and meaningless, it looks at the paths that are taken and the paths that could have been taken as we, and the potato, pass through life. Hopefully, in life as in death, the inevitable result is to be savored and to begin again.
This piece can be approached in a multitude of ways.
• Following the notated score.
• Following the graphic score.
• Following the poem.
• Any combination of the above.
Make it personal.
8 Months
Bass Clarinet Alone;
Bass Clarinet and Electronics;
2020
Contact composer
15:55
Self-Published
8 Months is a structured improvisation which addresses the time period from March – October of 2020. Grounded by a bass clarinet and a chair, the performer relives the events and molds them to their own experiences. Both intimate and performative, personal and universal, the work allows both audience and performer to reflect upon the sheer number of events that occurred in that span of time.
This period of time was overwhelmingly full. This work focuses on three main categories of the COVID-19 pandemic, the social justice movement in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, as well as the effects of climate change, though also incorporates other world events. A full scope of events and their effects is impossible. However, 8 Months tries to capture that overload of information and emotion while being aware there are multitudes still omitted.
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by the nature of our conversation
Clarinet (Bass Clarinet), Cello
2019
Contact composer
10:00
Self-Published
by the nature of our conversation is an extemporaneous exploration of the process of conversation, framed by the four elements and seasons. Spring / Earth is the awkward beginnings when meeting someone new; Summer / Air floats jovially in lighthearted casual conversation; Fall / Water dives deep into dreams when people truly connect; Winter / Fire is the confrontation when faced with irreconcilable differences and the rage and sorrow that go along with it. The piece ends as an open-ended improvisation, in which the performers decide how their conversation ends.
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