Stranger From Paradise, 2017

Stranger From Paradise, my first opera, premiered in May of 2017. The music and story (libretto by Kevin Lawler) weave together scenes from the life and work of the visionary artist and poet, William Blake, and his wife, Catherine Blake. This project, commissioned by Opera Omaha and the Great Plains Theatre Conference, was an extraordinary honor and unprecedented opportunity for me.

From the review:

"The music was tremendous. It sounded like Westminster Abbey, English folk tunes and the symphonic greats of the British Isles all at once..."

"Jones demonstrated a unique compositional voice. The nature of this small orchestral piece was transcendent and complex, befitting the metaphysical nature of Blake’s work..."

"The entire company was dramatically, musically and appropriately out of this world."

-- Drew Neneman / World-Herald correspondent May 27, 2017

A Tiny Tale, 2015

A Tiny Tale can be described as a children's book for adults, a love story both charming and world-wise. Author Olivier Cri de Coeur and illustrator Margaux Bancroft (AKA Brian Alan Lane and Donna Cohen) asked me to compose and produce music for the book's read-along audio companion. I thought a rustic, pastoral woodwind suite would be the perfect pairing to this beautifully written and illustrated grown-up fable. The book and its audio companion are available at www.atinytale.com. You can listen to a few examples of just the music here:

Hughie, 2012

Kevin Lawler asked me to compose and produce some incidental music for his innovative production of Eugene O'Neill's one-act play, Hughie. I wanted to help create a sense of the loneliness of the protagonist's world, so the instrumentation, like Kevin's staging, needed to be spare -- just a piano, a violin, and a guitar make an appearance. The music of Satie was clearly an inspiration here. (Is there anything lonelier-sounding than Satie?)

Secret Bedfellows, 2012

"There are no earthlings." Such is the premise of this web series pilot, in which friends-with-benefits decide to make things official. As they open up to one another, things start taking some very unexpected twists and turns. The challenge for me was to create theme and "bumper" music that could be haunting and seductive, otherworldly and accessible, all at once.

The Caterer, 2009

The Caterer is a play about a man who sells you your appropriate death. In this dark dramedy, a doctor goes into the euthanasia business after experiencing a family tragedy. Writer and director Brian Lane invited me to compose incidental music to accompany this complex story. It was such a privilege to be able to professionally record the very gifted musicians who contributed to this music, and to contribute to a project featuring LeVar Burton in the lead role, along with several other notable actors from television and film.

Four Minutes to Win a Heart Back, 2009

Filmmaker Richard J. Lee asked me to write some music for this project of his, a short film that chronicles a relationship from its sweet and charming early phase to its untimely end, thanks to the boyfriend's uncontrollable addiction to his movie camera. Bob Dylan-esque posterboard-drop storytelling also features, as the boyfriend character seeks forgiveness for letting his camera get in the way of things. I played some electric guitar in this one, hoping to create a sound that conveyed the gleeful exhilaration of being in love.

The Tulip, 2008

The Tulip, a play written and directed by Kevin Lawler, tells a story that meditates on grief and loss while sweeping the audience into a surreal sequence of gorgeous scenes and achingly beautiful moments. Guided by some of Kevin's impressions and inspirations, I drew from traditional Dutch folk music, Swedish kulning, and the sounds of the sea to compose and produce the soundtrack, some moments of which were played live on stage. This was my first musical collaboration with Kevin and an incredibly rewarding one.