Leah Graalfs

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This piece explores distinct "worlds" of sound, drawing on the inspiration of being in a unique new environment during my first year at UCSB. The distinguishable sections of the piece resemble different experiences, and the emotions that come along with them. The interplay across the marimba and vibraphone represents the connection between my hometown and UCSB, sometimes in stark contrast, sometimes in serene harmony. The development later into the composition reflects the expansion of my worldview that comes along with learning to adjust to a completely new set of life experiences  new people, new sounds, new emotions, not without their deep lows as well as soaring highs  a whole new world.

Across Worlds

Multiple Percussion Duet

An underwater landscape, hidden by pitch darkness and engulfed in crushing pressure: This is where the sound-world exists, exploring its inhospitable habitat but ultimately searching in circles. In some ways, this piece is a metaphor for mental health, and what it can feel like when responsibilities are piling up but the stress is past the point of healthy and motivating, and it has become paralyzing. You watch the surface quickly shrink away as you plummet into the depths, enshrouded in an unbearable volume of inky water. Occasionally you catch a glimpse of the surface and you make some progress towards it, swimming frantically against the weight of your liquid tomb, but you are utterly exhausted.
Only when finally allow yourself to rest do you notice the slightest bit of light behind your eyelids – you’re floating to the surface. Once you emerge among the turbulent waves, the intense rush of sound that hit your ears is so much more than welcome – sounds you once took for granted, the wind, the water, the birds. Though the surface is turbulent, you have the energy to navigate it once again. But how long will it last? Such a question is of the least importance in this setting – the ocean and its skies need appreciating.
-Leah Graalfs, October 2025

Submerged

Piano Trio- Violin, Cello, Piano Trio

This piece draws inspiration from my deeply emotional experiences in California nature this past summer. The first movement sonically recounts my visit to the stunning Sonoma botanical gardens, with its breathtaking views and gorgeous Japanese flora, and many intertwining trails past ponds and streams. The second movement attempts to capture the dizzying intensity of the John Muir trail hike to the top of Vernal fall in Yosemite. The scorching heat and incredibly steep incline for many consecutive hours was as close as mortally possible to a trial by fire, and many times did I desperately want to give up and turn around. But I knew I had to see the view from the edge of the waterfall, and it was beyond rewarding. This movement encapsulates the sheer power of the water surging over the cliff, and the transcendental experience of witnessing it. 
          The final movement slows down with a pointillistic depiction of a butterfly garden in Vallejo, with the paths of two butterflies being traced in canon between the flute and piano. The first reiteration of this theme from earlier in the piece is exact, imitating the experience of initially surveying the scenery, with the overlapping paths of many fluttering wings making it difficult to comprehend much. The second iteration serves to “zoom in” on the geometrical beauty of the butterflies’ wings and the paths they trace through the air, utilizing a 12-tone row and its transformations. The third iteration zooms back out, returning to a diatonic landscape and simply revelling in the beautiful chaos, now with a better understanding of the butterflies’ nature. Finally, the piece ends with restatements of material from each of the movements, tying each encounter together into the shared emotions across each experience from the summer, and leaving off with a hint of wonder and bewilderment. 
-Leah Graalfs, October 2025

botanical gardens

2 Flutes and Piano Duet

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Across Worlds

Submerged

botanical gardens