Welcome! This is an on-going attempt to capture my varied professional interests and activities through pages on this website, as well as links to related websites. I hope that you will be a frequent visitor because the website will be dynamic with new content being added on a regular basis.
For most ofย 2025, I worked on a large-scale projectย forย narrator, sopranoย soloist,ย bass-baritone soloist, childrenโs choir, adult choir, andย orchestra.ย Myย Messa per Papa Celestino Vย honorsย Pope (and Saint) Celestino V who served as Pope forย 161 daysย from July 5-December 13, 1294. It is a remarkable storyย of a humble priest, Pietro da Morrone,ย who livedย most of his lifeย as aย hermitย high in the Apennine Mountains of Central Italy.ย Commissioned by the Camerata Musicaleย Sulmonese, the premiere performances of this 80-minuteย workย took place in the Abruzzo Region of Italy on December 14ย (Sulmona)ย and December 15ย (Pescara).
Click on the following link to view the 24-page program booklet for the Sulmona and Pescara performances. The work consists of six poems and thirteen movements of music. All of the Italian, Latin and Greek texts are included with English translations. In the case of my poems, the English versions are the originals. It should be noted that I have written these poems in the imagined voice of Papa Celestino V.
Click here for the links to the live video and audio recordings of the December 2025 premiere performances in Sulmona and Pescara, Italy.
Sulmona Performance on 14 December 2025
Conductor Pasquale Veleno and LAS
Saxophonist Gaetano Di Bacco and LAS โ On the first page of the Messa per Papa Celestino V, I have written the following: Dedicated to to Gaetano Di Bacco, Artistic Director of the Camerata Musicale Sulmonese, with profound gratitude.
La messa per Pietro da Morrone, una prima che vale doppio.
A parte i troppi colpi di tosse tra il pubblico che facevano pensare piรน a una corsia dโospedale che alla platea del teatro Caniglia e due scivoloni storici nel testo introduttivo letto dagli studenti, peraltro bravissimi, dellโIstituto Ovidio, la prima della messa dedicata a Pietro da Morrone ieri sera con gran successo, ha avuto un doppio merito.
Il primo riguarda lโidea di comporla e il supporto che il progetto ha avuto da parte della Camerata Musicale Sulmonese, il secondo relativo al fatto che questa cosa รจ accaduta a Sulmona, bruciando sul filo di lana LโAquila alla vigilia dellโanno in cui sarร Capitale Italiana della Cultura.
Al Maestro Gaetano Di Bacco, direttore artistico della Camerata, va riconsciuto il merito di averci creduto e di aver reso possibile la realizzazione di qualcosa di nuovo nella produzione culturale a Sulmona e nella scena nazionale, con lโaggiunta di averlo fatto ricollocando al centro dellโidentitร cittadina la figura di Pietro da Morrone/Celestino V, ricordando cosรฌ ai sulmonesi e non soltanto a loro che il Papa Eremita รจ figura autenticamente e indiscutibilmente patrimonio innanzitutto locale.
Con buona pace di chi, pur con comprensibili motivazioni, ha enfatizzato a dismisura quella โPerdonanzaโ che, pur restando fatto storico unico e clamoroso, non rende giustizia a tutto quello cโรจ stato prima e dopo.
Stasera la messa verrร replicata a Pescara. Cosa che รจ perfettamente legittima visto che la struttura musicale di supporto รจ stata quella del conservatorio โLuisa DโAnnunzioโ e la direzione del Maestro Veleno.
Fatto che, a voler essere maliziosi a tutti i costi, rimarca ulteriormente la distanza che permane tra la cittร di Pietro da Morrone e quella sede della Perdonanza, nonostante il riconoscimento UNESCO le unisca grazie al Fuoco del Morrone.
Tuttavia, per dirla tutta, non รจ passata affatto inosservata lโassenza totale dellโamministrazione comunale come pure quella delle esponenti regionali locali. Un evento di questa portata avrebbe meritato senzโaltro piรน rispetto, sia per lโautorevolezza indiscussa della Camerata, sia per non dare la spiacevole impressione che del termine โculturaโ ci si riempia spesso la bocca a sproposito e in circostanze tutto sommato di diversa e minore caratura rispetto a questa.
In ogni caso, il valore artistico della messa grazie alla suggestione dovuta allโapproccio inusuale da parte del compositore, il Maestro Larry Alan Smith, โ per il quale le influenze musicali, quasi cinematografiche e la contaminazione con generi diversi si avvertono in tutta la partitura โ รจ davvero notevole e interessante.
Quindi speriamo che a breve, al di lร dei โcampanilismiโ celestiniani, anche LโAquila e tuti i luoghi legati a Pietro Celestino possano goderne lโascolto.
The Mass for Pietro da Morrone: A Premiere of Double Significance
Aside from the excessive coughing among the audienceโwhich made the venue feel more like a hospital ward than the auditorium of the Caniglia Theatreโand two historical blunders in the introductory text read by the students (who, it must be noted, performed admirably) from the Ovidio Institute, the premiere of the Mass dedicated to Pietro da Morrone last night was a resounding success and possessed a twofold merit.
The first lies in the very concept of composing the work and the support the project received from the Camerata Musicale Sulmonese; the second stems from the fact that this event took place in Sulmonaโbeating LโAquila to the punch right at the finish line, just on the eve of the year in which the latter is set to serve as the Italian Capital of Culture.
Maestro Gaetano Di Bacco, the Camerataโs Artistic Director, deserves full credit for believing in this vision and for making possible the realization of something truly novel within both Sulmonaโs cultural landscape and the national artistic scene. Furthermore, he achieved this by restoring the figure of Pietro da MorroneโCelestine Vโto the very heart of the cityโs identity, thereby reminding the people of Sulmona (and indeed everyone else) that the “Hermit Pope” is, authentically and indisputably, a heritage belonging first and foremost to the local community.
This serves as a gentle rebuke to those whoโalbeit with understandable motivesโhave placed disproportionate emphasis on the Perdonanza. For while the Perdonanza remains a unique and momentous historical event, focusing on it exclusively fails to do justice to the rich history that both preceded and followed it.
Tonight, the Mass will be performed again in Pescara. This is a perfectly legitimate arrangement, given that the supporting musical ensemble was provided by the “Luisa DโAnnunzio” Conservatory, under the direction of Maestro Veleno.
It is a fact whichโif one were inclined to be a touch mischievousโserves to further underscore the lingering distance between the city of Pietro da Morrone and the city that hosts the Perdonanzaโdespite the fact that their shared UNESCO recognition, centered on the Fuoco del Morrone (Fire of Morrone), technically binds them together. Howeverโto be perfectly frankโthe complete absence of the municipal administration, as well as that of local regional representatives, certainly did not go unnoticed. An event of this magnitude undoubtedly deserved greater respectโboth out of deference to the undisputed prestige of the Camerata, and to avoid conveying the unpleasant impression that the term “culture” is often bandied about inappropriately, and in circumstances that are, all things considered, of a different and lesser caliber than this one.
In any case, the artistic merit of the Massโheightened by the evocative quality of the composer Maestro Larry Alan Smithโs unconventional approach (an approach in which musical influencesโalmost cinematic in natureโand the blending of diverse genres are palpable throughout the entire score)โis truly remarkable and compelling.
We therefore hope that, in the near futureโsetting aside any parochial rivalries surrounding the legacy of Celestineโthe city of LโAquila, along with all other sites associated with Pietro Celestino, will also have the opportunity to experience this work.
* * * * *
A photo from the rehearsal at the Music Conservatory in Pescara on 12 December 2025
I first metย music theoristย Li Qing in November 2022 when she attended a series of online lectures and classes that I gave forย Xinghaiย Conservatory in Guangzhou, China. A few months later, she reached out to me about using two of my song cycles for her graduate research. I was grateful for her interest in my music (and Emily Dickinsonโs poetry!), and I found our manyย subsequentย conversations fascinating because, as hasย oftenย been the case throughout music history, theory was following practice. What I heard and wrote wasย . . .ย what I heard and wrote! She was analyzing my work andย putting it in context with the harmonic practices of our time. Now, two years later, I want to congratulate Li Qing on the successful defense of her thesis and the completion of her Master of Arts degree.ย
The creation of The Soul of Wine (2025) has been in the works since 2017, and it will be premiered in Vittorito (AQ) on May 9-11, 2025.
As the poster indicates, there will be five performances:
Friday, May 9 at 18.00
Saturday, May 10 at 16.00 and 18.00
Sunday, May 11 at 16.00 and 18.00
This is a multimedia work that brings together poetry, acousmatic music, movement, live music, sounds, and extensive improvisation. Click here for details.
Click on LAS Musings to learn more about the 2024 Komponistenforum Mittersill. I plan to offer some observations and reactions during the course of kofomi#28-2024.
Extensive family-related travel included trips to Japan and Europe during the late spring and early summer. As a result, my summary posts became a little less frequent, but some of the recent additions to my website appear below.
Gokurakuji Temple on Naoshima Island (Japan)
Of note . . .
You will find many recordings of my music on this website, but I have recently added the following works:
I am excited about a new page entitled The composer as performer, and the first comments and recordings pay tribute to my mother who died of cancer in 1981.
There is now a List of Works by Medium. Not only will visitors find it easier to search my catalog, but the formatting will enable me to add details about pieces that surface during my on-going research.
Many students from 2000-04 have been added to My Students (1979 to the present), but I still have a long way to go to complete this project. Three large stacks related to my private and classroom students await my attention.
Finally, for information about the arts-related business I formed back in 1995, please visit the Berg Associates, Inc. page.
Hiking down to the village of Schรถnried (Switzerland)
On February 16th, Neuma Records released Kinesis, Vol. 2, a double album featuring the the Athens-based Galan Trio. My Piano Trio No. 3 (2022), a work written for and premiered by the ensemble in Italy last January, is one of the 12 works on this new recording.
For more information, click here. Please note: This link also includes links to the streaming services where the recording is currently available. They include Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, and Deezer. Although it is not listed, I found the album on my YouTube Premium service.
The website will eventually include several photo galleries. Today, I want to launch a gallery that focuses on musicians. Click here to see the first of many photos.
I have enjoyed many different roles during the course of my career, but perhaps the most important and most consistent role has been serving as a teacher and mentor.
After a two-year graduate assistantship at The Juilliard School from 1977-79 (while pursuing my Master of Music degree in composition), I was hired to teach full-time at the Boston Conservatory for the 1979-80 academic year. That new opportunity required boarding a 2:00 AM train on Monday at New York’s Penn Station, arriving in Boston bright and early, teaching all day, and then taking a 10 PM train back to New York that arrived at 3:00 AM on Tuesday. Tuesday was taken up with my doctoral studies at Juilliard, and on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I headed back to Boston for part two of my weekly travels. It was an absolutely wild schedule, but I loved every minute of it, and I really enjoyed working with my students. Clearly, teaching would be a major part of my life.
During the 1980-81 academic year, I joined the full-time faculty of The Juilliard School where I taught for six years before assuming a series of positions that would combine academic, artistic, and administrative roles with my love of teaching.
My life has been enriched by my students, and I am in their debt. Click here to explore My Students (1979 to the present).
AND . . .
Frequent visitors to this site will know that I have been steadily adding recordings of my music. The 2023 Thanksgiving edition includes one of my acousmatic works, Una donna, un uomo ed alcune pecore ( A woman, a man and some sheep). Click here to read the program notes and access the audio file.
1) A recording of my Three Pieces for Piano (2015), as performed by my wife, pianist Marguerita Oundjian Smith, has been added. Click here for the page that includes the audio files, as well as photos of the art in Mexico City that inspired the music.
2) Today, I am introducing a page I call LAS Musings.
My father, Lawrence Alexander Smith (1918-70), was a veteran of World War II.
This morning, I spent some time going through documents, photos, and memorabilia related to his military service in the early 1940’s, and I thought they would provide a fitting introduction to what I have written about January 27, 1973, the end of the Vietnam War, and draft numbers for Americans born in 1955.
Having my father’s uniform means a great deal to me. More than 80 years have passed. Remarkable.
. . . from three invigorating weeks of music, art, family, friends, colleagues, walking, wine, and writing (piano music and poetry).
There were three stops.
New York City: Activities included attending a Tertulia performance that featured violinists Livia Sohn and Jimmy Thompson, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and cellist Sterling Elliott; celebrating our recent 45th wedding anniversary with members of our family who took us to the Trevor Noah performance at the Beacon Theater; taking in MoMA’s Picasso in Fontainebleau; hearing a performance at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church by Juilliard organ students; and attending James Austin Smith’s Hearing Memory at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
Switzerland: Activities included attending the first six days of Le Bois qui Chante (a music festival in its 23rd season) in Chรขteau-d’Oex where I heard performances by Le Concert impromptu, Le Quintette du Jet d’Eau, pianist and alphornist Christophe Sturzenegger, and soprano Beatrice Villiger. Beatrice is the Artistic Director of the festival.
Italy: In addition to attending a program honoring the memory of Italian musician and composer Mario Giusti, my time in Abruzzo was spent planning future performances with artist friends, including an instrumentalist, a choral conductor, and a choreographer/dancer. Wine, as is usually the case, was an important part of my three-week trip. However, one morning stood out as a friend and I held our meeting at a winery, walking through the vineyards and an olive grove.
After giving a series of remote lectures at Xinghai Conservatory in Guangzhou, China during November 2022, I was approached by a graduate student who wanted to know more about my music. She was particularly interested in my harmonic writing and my work with art song. I happily shared some music with her, and now, ten months later, two of my works have become the topic of her approved Master of Music thesis. That thesis is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
ๆ้.่พไผฆ.ๅฒๅฏๆฏไธคๅฅๅฃฐไนๅฅๆฒ็ๅๅฃฐ็น็น็ ็ฉถ โ A Study on the Harmonic Characteristics of Two Song Cycles by Larry Alan Smith
Li Qing is a student at the South China University of Technology’s School of Arts majoring in composition technique theory, and she will be researching my Emily Dickinson Songs (2005) and A Slash of Blue! A sweep of Gray! (2010). Both of these song cycles involve poems written by Emily Dickinson. (Recordings of both works are included on this website.)
I have seen a summary of Li Qing’s preliminary research plans, and she will be including information about my training in France with Nadia Boulanger, as well as my study at The Juilliard School with Vincent Persichetti. She will also be focusing on the 14 Dickinson poems I used to create the two song cycles. Most importantly, she will be delving into my harmonic language and my approach to the writing of art song.
This is an exciting project, and I look forward to providing Li Qing with any information and documents she might need to complete her work. I am humbled by her interest in my music. Stay tuned for updates on the research during the coming months.
Today happens to be my birthday. When I was in my late-40’s and early-50’s, I used to dread my birthdays. My father died at age 52 when I was 14, and my mother died at age 54 when I was 25. Each time a doctor would ask about my family history, I would cringe and reluctantly provide the details. However, as I grew older and actually outlived my parents, it seemed that there might be some reason for hope.
Now, at 68, I feel healthy, vital, and nowhere near my age. 68 must be the new 48 . . . or perhaps even younger! Each day is a blessing, and I try to celebrate by being careful about what I eat, walking as much as possible (I am currently on a nearly 800-day walking streak), and enjoying the tremendous blessings of having a wonderful family that includes my wife (we just celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary!), my four sons, their spouses, and my four grandchildren. I am also fortunate to have a large extended family.
To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of social media these days. Advertising overwhelms content, content is meant to be brief (and “catchy”), and posts are quickly buried as the newest material appears. This is distinctly unsatisfying for someone like yours truly who has spent his life building work (artistic and otherwise) that is meant to be carefully constructed and hopefully long lasting.
Therefore, I am trying a different approach as this new website takes shape. Part blog . . . part online exhibit . . . part whatever I want it to be! I like the idea of creating something that can be explored over time during multiple visits. My goal is to communicate with intention and care.
The irony is that I will probably use social media to advertise new content on this site!
In early 2013, a friend put me in touch with musician, web/graphic designer and audio/video producerย George Marshall. George was just starting a podcast devoted to contemporary music and living composers, and he asked if he could interview me. I agreed, and I was very pleased with the results.
The interview focuses on my work for soprano and piano, A Slash of Blue! A sweep of Gray! (2010). You can hear the complete work in the Commercial Recordings section of this website under I dwell in Possibility. It features soprano Cherie Caluda.
To hear the podcast, click here, and select the March 1, 2013 episode.
By chance, I came across an interesting blog post by Rhoda-Gale Pollack about Edna St. Vincent Millay’s play, Aria da Capo. With the permission of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s sister, Norma Millay Ellis, I set the play to music in 1980. Near the end of her post, Dr. Pollack mentions my opera which is scored for five singers (soprano, tenor, two baritones and a bass-baritone) and a chamber ensemble consisting of the following instruments: clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, one percussionist, piano and string quintet. The work is available on rental from the Theodore Presser Company.
Larry Alan Smith 