Joshua Maynard

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<p>Portrays the smoky scene of an exclusive club for high rollers, mob bosses, and forbidden lovers. This piece conveys the sleazy, immoral atmosphere of this particular den of crime. From a slow, sultry ballad for the mysterious woman in the corner smoking a cigar to the raucous din of the casino floor, it's a whirlwind of irreverent jazz, film noir tropes, and unabashed noise.</p>

The Onyx

Saxophone Quartet

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"A Fog Bank Lies O'er Farthingderry" by JC Maynard — an a cappella work for Tenor-Bass chorus — describes a fictional, rural town upon which the speaker fondly reflects. The music conveys the quiet, pastoral setting of “Farthingderry” through a mix of simple melody and rich sonorities, reminding listeners of a simpler time.

A Fog Bank Lies O'er Farthingderry

TTBB Full Score

“Seek,” commissioned by Dr. O’Neil Jones and debuted by the University of Wyoming Bel Canto Chorus in Nov.2023, joins traditional choral practice with a touch of aleatory. Beginning with lush piano textures, voices join the Dorian soundscape, singing a message of strength and resilience — to seek out the broken road, to brave the storms ahead. Following an aleatoric call, the piece concludes with a vivacious section in 7/8. Other versions of “Seek” include SATB Divisi+Piano, SSAA+Orchestra, and SATB+Orchestra

Seek

SSAA Full Score

JC Maynard's raucous "Woodland Rags" take inspiration from turn-of-the-century ragtimes, putting a modern spin on the classic style.

Rivercross Rag

Piano Solo

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In “Dúlamán,” Maynard sets a traditional Irish folk song to an original tune. This playful song, tracing its roots through Gaelic oral tradition, celebrates the maritime culture of seaweed harvesting and acts as a metaphor for courtship. As the word “Dúlamán” is the Gaelic name for “channeled wrack” — a common seaweed found along the coasts of northern Europe — the “Irish seaweed” in these lyrics is a wealthy father of a girl, and the “stately seaweed” is a humble suitor, who runs off with the man’s daughter after expressing his love for her. This setting of “Dúlamán” derives inspiration from traditional Celtic music and adds contemporary stylistic changes, honoring the enduring coastal culture of Ireland.

Dulaman

SSAATTBB Full Score

Cypress Rag

"Alleluia" by JC Maynard is an a cappella work for eight-part chorus. This is the most advanced choral piece Maynard has written, with many interweaving melodic lines, temporal and metric changes, and tonal shifts. The text: "Alleluia pro mundo qui lucet in gloria," translates to "Alleluia for the world that shines in glory," a declamation of praise to the beauty and complexity of the world and our human race. The text, however, is of secondary importance to the sonorous wash of voices ebbing in and out of homophony, creating hauntingly gorgeous chords that tug on the heart.

Alleluia

<p>Expressing the deep trauma of loss, this selection sets an original Spanish text for a cappella mixed voices. Through harmonic dissonances and changing meter, the audience can feel the torment and suffering caused by rehashing memories of good days that can never occur again. A moving selection for advanced choirs.</p>

Los Recuerdos

SATB Octavo divisi or SSAATTBB

Written for the Voces8 Composer Competition, “February Twilight” is Maynard’s setting of Sara Teasdale’s gorgeous poem of the same name. First premiered by the Renova New Music Ensemble in Nov.2023, this octet sings beautifully in both chamber and large ensemble settings, portraying the serenity of a tranquil winter’s evening.

February Twilight

"where to count the stars” expresses an earnest desire to find peace among a turbulent world increasingly disconnected from nature. Inspired in equal parts by a starry 2014 night that Maynard walked the beach of North Carolina’s Cape Lookout shore and by a quote from Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot,” this piece seeks to capture the indescribable awe felt when appreciating the universe in its full grandeur and vastness.

where to count the stars

"Dreamlight" explores the journey of finding one's purpose through extraordinary trials. Written for SATB divisi choir and piano, its lush harmony — ranging from dense tone clusters to soaring melodies — illustrates the complex, curving path of personal growth. Struggles with interpersonal relationships, self confidence, belief systems, deaths of loved ones, and external challenges can all mold one's character, and similarly craft the emotional arc of this piece. Beginning with earnest introspection, "Dreamlight" spirals into a pleading "prayer to no one" — a cry out to a seemingly indifferent universe to deliver us from these hard times. Finally, the choir finds solace in the tranquility of the mind, laying to rest in the light of their dreams.

Dreamlight

"Solitude" explores the burden of loneliness that so many of us face. Ironically, our ever growing "interconnectedness" as a global community has increased the distance in our human relationships. So much of our communication and exchange of ideas occurs now only through screens, a medium in which genuine attachment has been lost. The pandemic only exacerbated these issues of isolation, forcing an integral part of what makes us human into hiding. Deprived of everything from physical touch to maskless smiles, many of us felt unbearably alone, and many still struggle today -- feeling unwanted or unable to make those connections we seem to have lost. "Solitude" spreads a message that, though isolation is still very real, we are not alone in our loneliness. From open, free-feeling chords, to tight, constricting tone clusters, the piece journeys through a range of emotions often felt in loneliness—peace and resolve, worry and fear. Starting with a single note, singers soon realize they are not alone as other voices join in their reflections.

Solitude

“Seek,” commissioned by Dr. O’Neil Jones and debuted by the University of Wyoming Bel Canto Chorus in Nov.2023, joins traditional choral practice with a touch of aleatory. This SATB version was commissioned by the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale in Jul.2024. Beginning with lush piano textures, voices join the Dorian soundscape, singing a message of strength and resilience — to seek out the broken road, to brave the storms ahead. In this piece, we strive to create a better world for those who follow us, as did the countless generations of those who came before us, building all from which we benefit today. Following an aleatoric call to join this mission, the piece concludes with a vivacious section in ⅞ — the acceptance. Other versions of “Seek” include SSAA+piano, SSAA+orchestra (premiered by the Academy District 20 Honor Choir and Colorado Springs Philharmonic Nov.2024), and SATB divisi+orchestra. This choral score can be used in conjunction with orchestral accompaniment.

Sung by ensembles such as the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Thornton Community Chorus, and the Renova New Music Ensemble, "Azure Skies" is an a cappella choral piece inspired by Maynard’s love for the American West. Born and raised in colorful Colorado, he has constantly been inspired by its incredible scenery, its hidden little places, and its loving people. His hometown of Colorado Springs sits at the base of the magnificent Pikes Peak — the mountain discovered by Zebulon Pike that inspired the poem "America the Beautiful." The land that poet Katharine Lee Bates described as she sat atop its summit lives up to its station as one of America's greatest treasures. In addition to honoring the brave sacrifice of the pilgrims who settled there and the stoic courage of heroes who defended our nation, she penned the memorable lines, "O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain!" Championing America's natural beauty and our foundational values of liberty and freedom, she elegantly encapsulated the spirit of Colorado and this great nation. Reading her impactful words, Maynard thought of what makes Colorado such a special place in his heart, from the awe-inspiring Garden of the Gods, to sunsets over humble ranches, to his relationship with the United States Air Force Academy. Bates’s poem inspired him to write his own that commemorated his Rocky Mountain heritage and celebrated this amazing country.

Azure Skies

“The Skipping Stone” tells an allegory of braving the unknown through a tale of a rock cast on the sea. Inspired by the enchanting forests of the misty Alaskan fjords, it mimics the sound of raindroplets on water through the piano’s meandering melodies and tranquil improvisation. Evoking the call to adventure from the Hero’s Journey, the music travels through various tonal areas as it rises to the occasion, accepting the quest into the unknown. It is a message of strength, fortitude, and encouragement in uncertain times.

The Skipping Stone

This seven-movement suite, written for pianist Anastasiia Pavlenko, marks Maynard's largest and most ambitious solo instrumental work. Inspired by the evocative landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich, each movement captures the emotional and atmospheric essence of seven of his works, ranging from the misty stillness of Nebelschwaden to the sweeping majesty of Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. The suite weaves together recurring motifs, lush harmonies, and dramatic textures to form a narrative arc that mirrors a hero's journey. With influences from Romanticism to jazz, Maynard paints a vivid sonic portrait of longing, discovery, and awe in response to nature and the sublime. This work is ideal for pianists seeking emotionally rich, thematically cohesive repertoire with a modern yet lyrical voice.

On Seven Paintings of Caspar David Friedrich

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