Performances & Projects
For more information on Karla's upcoming and future performance schedule, please contact her directly.
RIPPLES
Over the course of this project, Karla Hamelin and Ames Asbell commissioned two new works by female composers for the viola/cello duo repertoire and produced a CD recording of 6 complete works for the ensemble. The resulting CD, entitled Ripples, pays tribute not only to the female gender from which all life emanates, but also to the San Marcos River and springs, which bring connection and history to our campus community.
Of special significance to the profession are the two commissioned works, representing a significant addition to the sparse body of works for viola/cello by female composers, as well as premiere recordings of four works.
Ripples, written for viola and cello in 2018 by Canadian composer Dr. Karen Sunabacka, was inspired by the concept of water as the source of life and as an expression of the female gender from which all life begins.
Commissioned by Texas State University, the piece is a sonic meditation on water in various forms – waves, ripples, droplets, etc. It evokes the underwater landscapes of the San Marcos River as it emerges through a set of natural springs right next to campus, binding the San Marcos and Texas State communities together. Many archaeologists believe the area around San Marcos Springs is one of the oldest continually inhabited
sites in North America. Sediment cores from the area indicate that it has been occupied by humans for the last 11,500 years, during every known period of human habitation in Central Texas. The San Marcos Springs are critical to the history and development of the city of San Marcos and surrounding areas.
Ladybird Suite for Cello and Electronics
"Lady Bird Suite" is a composition written in 2019/20 by Richard D. Hall for Cello and Live Electronics or Laptop Computer. This piece was written specifically for Karla Hamelin at Texas State University. The work was inspired by the Lady Bird Wildflower Center located in Austin, TX, and is organized into the following sections: The Streams, The Creatures, and The Flowers.
The cello melodies are variations derived from the melodic and harmonic sequences found in the Prelude of the Suite for unaccompanied Cello No. 3 by J. S. Bach. This piece was premiered at the FACULTY ARTIST SERIES, on February 24, 2020 at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX with Karla performing on cello; Richard performed laptop computer and the live digital video art on a laptop (using Quartz Composer). The Live Electronics consist of delay and looping effects, which are triggered in real-time and the digital, video art is performed in real-time using various MIDI controllers. The digital, video art is manipulations of various looped videos filmed at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. The piece has since been performed at several new music and electronic music conferences.
Journey to China
This project is the extraordinary story of my grandparents' (Dr. & Mrs. W.G. Campbell) journey to Chengdu China from Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1938. Combining music, narration, photos and video, this mixed media recital is a testament to their adventure of a lifetime that shaped their lives for decades.