The Coming of Spring (2014)

Monodrama for tenor with flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano. 36 mins.


A dramatic work in one act with libretto by Nell Shaw Cohen based on the writings and paintings of Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967). Continue reading “The Coming of Spring (2014)”

Explore John Muir’s Yosemite (2014)

Multimedia installation for web browser & iPad app with photography, video, and digitally synthesized score.

This installation illustrates the writings of naturalist and conservationist John Muir through interactive photography and music, offering an engaging new interpretation of Muir’s vision of nature. Explore ten sites in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks with Muir as your guide. View it for free: muirsyosemite.com Continue reading “Explore John Muir’s Yosemite (2014)”

Horizon (2013)

Cello. 7 1/2 mins.

Live performance by Matthew Smith, cello of Juventas New Music Ensemble:

Short film featuring Callie Lyons, dancer, and Fjóla Evans, cello:

Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note

Horizon was composed in 2013 for the occasion of Parrish Art Museum’s one-year anniversary in its new location in Water Mill, NY.  This work celebrates and reflects the aesthetic quality of the museum’s building and the surrounding landscape of the East End of Long Island, , using negative space in music to reflect the vastness of a flat horizon line.

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Performance History
  • Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill NY. Karlos Rodriguez, cello: 11/09/13. Richard Vaudrey, cello: 11/10/13.
  • Recorded on-site in public parks by Fjola Evans for short dance film. New York NY, February 2014.
  • Louise King, cello. Cello Dreaming Australian tour: The Cooroora Institute, Cooroy (9/09/16), Horizon Festival at University Sunshine Coast Art Gallery in Sippy Downs (9/10/16), and Lift Gallery in Maleny (9/11/16).
  • The Clark Art Institute, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Matthew Smith, cello, Williamstown, MA, 7/16/23.

The Faraway Nearby: Georgia O’Keeffe and The New Mexico Landscape (2010)

Video with flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello.  10 mins.

(The music in this work is also the first movement of Into nowhere).


Video and music inspired by the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. Filmed on location in New Mexico, with original animations and motion graphics. Over 19,000 views on YouTube. Continue reading “The Faraway Nearby: Georgia O’Keeffe and The New Mexico Landscape (2010)”