The examples on this page are all pieces I’ve written for clients with specific requirements (who have generously allowed me to post their pieces here).
Grace Preparatory Academy
A short film for Grace Prep. in Durango, CO.
Forever is Composed of Nows
This is humorous short film, silent black and white in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin. The film is by Aaron Campbell; the music is by me (Alta Graham) and is entirely electronically realized with Pro Tools and Finale software. The specifications were:
Fast piano throughout
Comedic
Reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin films
Modal Suite for Baritone Saxophone and Piano
Baritone Saxophone and Piano
Multi-movement
Expert difficulty level
Neoclassical style
Modal, with emphasis on the Octatonic mode
Occasional subtle jazz references
Complex/asymmetric rhythmic structures
Theme On a Painted Violin 
The client’s specifications for this piece were:
Solo violin, no accompaniment
Expert difficulty level
It must musically represent the Gagliano painted violin:
In this case, the commission was part of a contest hosted by the Sante Fe Symphony in which composers from around the 4 Corners competed to have their pieces played by the Symphony concert master, Leonard Felberg. This piece won.
Five By Five
Sometimes musicians who play more modern instruments express their regret that they seldom get to play folk or early music. This piece is for some of those musicians: a suite of folk dance tunes for saxophones. The companion piece to this is a suite of early music style works for clarinet sextet. The specifications were:
Saxophone quintet (SAATB)
Celtic folk music style
Mimics bagpipes
Easy to moderate difficulty level
This recording is of a live performance by Reid Miller, Dustin Yoes, Cole Belt, Scott Phillips and Dan Allen.