Music for Film and Theatre
The First Time I Walked on the Moon
This production by Craig Quintero and the Riverbed Theatre with music by John Rommereim was performed in Taipei and Tainan, Taiwan;, at the Besoto Festival in Kwangju, South Korea, and in Grinnell, Iowa. The music was continual throughout the show. The actors were viewed by an audience that was situated 10 feet above the stage, and the floor was illumniatedby continuous video projections.
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Rheingold
An original production directed by Craig Quintero, with music by John Rommereim, commissioned by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, and performed at the Hua Shan Creative Park in Taipei. This production was part of a larger project; four theatre companies in Taipei were commissioned to create an original reinterpretation of the four Ring Cycle operas. Five Grinnell Students traveled to Taipei to participate in th production: Peter Aldrich, Michael Kelley, Grace Lloyd, Rosie O'Brien, Youngbin Song, and Doyi Lee. It was an unforgettable experience spending the first half of the summer in Taipei and collaborating with Craig Quintero, who devised the work as we went. Most of the 50 minutes of music was written in response to Craig's evolving vision during the few weeks of rehearsal in Taipei that led up to the performances.
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The Weight of Things
Commissioned by Sydney Opera House and C-LAB, Taiwan with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, The Weight of Things is a short film by Craig Quintero with music by John Rommereim. Imagined as a Surrealist dreamscape, the Riverbed Theatre's The Weight of Things transports audiences into the world of suspended belief through a series of striking scenes. Threaded together with a dramatic score, evocative cinematography and suggestive narrative, The Weight of Things stirs deep contemplation and reflection about our current moment. One thing I enjoyed in making this music was using the diagetic sound of the scraping of the drawing pencil, and gradually transforming it into a pitched sound that plays a musical role. Craig works in an organic way, and the projects tend to morph as they go. The original conception was focused on the Perseverance mission to Mars. The basic musical impulse I had was conveying idea of lift-off, of gradually overcoming the force of gravity, which you can hear in the long build to the climax at about the midpoint.
