Drawing on his experiences as a father, son and walker, Aaron Siegel creates a series of musical contemplations that bring together his work as a writer, composer, percussionist and speaker. These pieces lie in the nebulous region between meditation and storytelling.

A collection of 14 songs written for countertenor and vibraphone, Watching Birds at The End of the World, contemplates the power of love lost and regained.  These intimate songs, written by composer Aaron Siegel, range from the hushed to the mournful, all in a direct voice from the featured singer, celebrated countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

Taking a page from visual artists who use studio assistants or craftspeople to fabricate their work, this series of electronic pieces explicitly transforms the scores of well-known musical compositions into radically re-situated musical gestures. The harmonic and rhythmic information of the scores remain intact. However, the original compositions are denuded of their intended power as masterworks of great virtuosity and presented as meditations on restfulness. The resulting sounds intimate at the retiring of the original works to make room for other sounds and ideas to emerge.

In these fabrications, stretching the scale of the work increases the amount of time spent with each harmonic moment. But the harmony itself is beside the point. Each instant of encounter with the sounds is like a thought, entering the mind with ease and affecting the emotional landscape disproportionately. As though in a meditative state, our role as a listener is not to judge the sounds, but release them back from the self into the space.

Anyone who has had to suffer through a beginner recorder player knows there are only so many times you can hear ‘Hot Cross Buns’ before your ears start to bleed. When my son turned 10 he was really into his recorder and I decided to write him a book of duets so we could play them together. The duets on this record, played expertly by Tai Rubinstein, are fun, engaging and sometimes silly. But they are earnest explorations of the recorder and each one has a little gem of a lesson hidden inside for the curious young musician. Listen to the first ten tracks to hear both of the parts together. And then play Part 1 along with the recordings of Part 2 in the second 10 tracks. Enjoy!

A Great Many is a new work for six percussionists and clarinet that represents the latest collaboration in 10-year relationship between composer Aaron Siegel and Mantra Percussion. This fruitful relationship started with the premiere and subsequent recording of Science is Only a Sometimes Friend, for eight glockenspiels and organ, which was selected as one of Time Out New York’s Ten Best Classical Albums of 2011. A Great Many, was commissioned by Chamber Music America in 2017 as a feature for clarinetist Christa Van Alstine and subsequently performed at the Vancouver New Music Festival and at the Ecstatic Music Festival.

Book of Notions is a collection of intimate duets for piano and vibraphone.  Available from LockStep Records.

Call Us Your People is a series of stories and observations paired with 80’s era ambient music.  Available from LockStep Records.

Science is Only a Sometimes Friend Studio Recording of this monumental piece for 8 glockenspiels and organ, featuring Mantra Percussion and recorded in 2010 and released on new label, LockStep Records.

Fiddle and Drum LP of improvisational duos with drummer Aaron Siegel and violinist Sam Amidon (2009, Peacock Recordings). Also available for download from iTunes.

Every Morning, A History Aaron Siegel Ensemble (2007, Peacock Recordings) Debut recording of the Aaron Siegel Ensemble featuring: A Diminished Thing (for solo piano) and Every Morning, A History (for clarinet, vibraphone, flute and viola).

Our Reluctance Is Overstated Online-only release of this piece for 6 sets of timpani released on shsk’h.

Rooms and Spaces This limited edition cdr features two electronic pieces completed in the Spring of 2003: Window With Eastern Exposure, Spaces. This out-of-print CDR is now available for download at LockStep Records.

The Cabinet Aaron Siegel Solo (2006, Longbox Recordings) 21 two-minute tracks of solo percussion.

MEMORIZE THE SKY (Zach Wallace and Matt Bauder)
Creeks (2010, broken research)
In Former Times (2008, Clean Feed)
Memorize the Sky (2007, 482 Music)
Memorize The Sky 3″ cdr (3) (2001)
Memorize The Sky 3″ cdr (2) (2001)
Memorize The Sky 3″ cdr (1) (2001)

WITH OTHERS
Weight / Counterweight– Bill Dixon, Ben Hall and Aaron Siegel (2009, Broken Research)
Superstition – Christy and Emily (2008)
Post Madonna Prima Donna – Jason Cady (2008, Peacock Recordings)
Music of Igor Ballereau (2008, Shsk’h)
All is Well Sam Amidon (2007, Bedroom Community)
Introducing…- White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds (2007, I and Ear Records)
Mêlée with Aaron Siegel (2006, Broken Research)
A Call for Silence – Compilation (2005, Sonic Arts Network)

WITH ANTHONY BRAXTON
Septet (Pittsburgh) 2008 (2005, New Braxton House)
Sextet (Philadelphia) 2005 – Part I (2005, New Braxton House)
Sextet (Philadelphia) 2005 – Part II (2005, New Braxton House)
Sextet (Boston) 2005 – Part I (2005, New Braxton House)
Sextet (Boston) 2005 – Part II (2005, New Braxton House)
Quartet (GTM) 2006 (2008, Important Records)
12+1tet (Victoriaville) 2007 (2008, Victo Records)
12+1tet- 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (2007, Firehouse 12)
4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (2006, Leo Records)
Sextet (Victoriaville) 2005 (2005, Victo Records)
2+ 2 Compositions (2005, 482 Music)