Perceptions of Strife

      Perceptions of Strife is a three movement sonata for unaccompanied clarinet composed for IU Southeast student Carrie Ravenscraft. It was premiered on April 16, 2012 in front of an audience of approximately fifty people and recorded at TNT studios on April 27, 2012. The approximate running time is around ten minutes.

The intention of Perceptions of Strife was to capture and illustrate the many controversies that surround our voluminous conflicts faced on a daily basis. The idea was rooted in the attacks on Pearl Harbor, however it is important for one to know that this piece should not be focused specifically on that day, or war in general. In her performance, Ms. Ravenscraft took the composition and related it to her constant struggles in her search within herself to find her calling in life, which is surprisingly similar to my own personal conflicts in trying to be someone I could be proud of. I have chosen this interpretation as the founding purpose behind Perceptions of Strife because I believe it is something we all can relate to, not just as musicians like me and Carrie, but also as human beings. Life rarely goes as planned, but your strife is all about how you perceive it to be.

On May 7, 2012 Carrie earned her music performance degree from IU Southeast and went on to earn teaching positions at Ball State University and the University of Louisville. She is currently a founding member of A/Tonal, a versatile chamber ensemble based in Louisville, Ky.

Note: This work is registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). If you would like to perform this piece please ensure that you contact them before the performance.