Orbitals for Bass Clarinet and Marimba, was written in the winter of 2014. The title refers to the mathematical function used to describe the wave-like behavior of a pair of electrons. I imagine the material here as continuously evolving and revolving within a kind of gravitational field, in which the individual lines are attracted, repelled, and at times absorbed by one another. I see the form as not necessarily linear, but as various angles or perspectives of a continuously evolvingmass.

James Borchers is a composer, percussionist, improviser, and sound artist who is active in a variety of musical settings. His music is inspired by an array of topics and genres, including science, visual art, poetry, literature, sacred texts, pop music, and the environment. In his works he seeks to incorporate a variety of compositional techniques while retaining an underlying framework that is balanced and transparent in its expression. He has written for a wide range of media including orchestral and chamber music, electroacoustic music, opera, film, and musical theater. Borchers has been awarded fellowships to attend numerous programs including Tanglewood Music Center and the Wellesley Composers Conference. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Kimmel Center for the Arts and at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. His compositions have been performed by groups such as the ICE ensemble, Talujon percussion quartet, Dinosaur Annex, the Lydian String Quartet, the New York Youth Symphony, and American Opera Projects.