Instrumental Works
Chamber Works
String Quartet No. 1 (“City Walks”)
12’30”
A finalist for The American Prize for Chamber Music, String Quartet No. 1 (”City Walks”) has been performed at the HellHot Festival in Hong Kong and by members of the MagikMagik Orchestra as part of the You Are Hear festival at San Francisco International Airport.
It is a single-movement work exploring a variety of stylistic and emotional zones, from a sweeping, mournful – almost cantorial – cello solo at the beginning to lively scherzo finale.
The piece was recorded in July 2025 by the Juventas New Music Ensemble for release on a forthcoming Navona Records compilation, scheduled for spring 2026.
Perusal score inquiries: michael.kaulkin@gmail.com
Zwei Hülshoff Lieder
Soprano, clarinet, viola, and piano ∙ 9’
Zwei Hülshoff Lieder was commissioned by San Francisco’s LIEDER ALIVE! as part of the organization’s mission to keep the German lieder tradition alive through the creation of new works. It was premiered in San Francisco in January, 2015 by soprano Jessica Wan, joined by clarinetist Natalie Parker, violist Paul Yarbrough and pianist Laura Dahl. The texts are taken from 19th-Century German poet Annette von Droste Hülshoff.
View the score and acquire performance materials…
American Standard
Clarinet and Piano ・9’
American Standard, a lyrical and macabre recital showpiece for clarinet and piano, is included on the U.K. label Clarinet Classics release “TIME PIECES: 60 Years of American Music” featuring clarinetist Peter Furniss and pianist David Leiher-Jones. It has been performed numerous times around the world.
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Fanfare
for brass and percussion ・2’20”
“Fanfare” was commissioned by my alma mater, the Washington International School, and premiered at a gala event celebrating the school’s 40th anniversary. Here is the July 2025 performance of the piece by the brass faculty at Interlochen.
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Orchestral Works
Letter to Hungary
String Orchestra・15”
The commission to write Letter To Hungary, for string orchestra, came in 2005, just as I was going through a period of nostalgia for my three years as a student in Budapest. The Hungarian Chamber Symphony Orchestra premiered the 15-minute piece in Budapest in November, 2005. The U.S. premiere took place in January, 2007 with the Mission Chamber Orchestra in San Jose, California.
Perusal score inquiries: michael.kaulkin@gmail.com