Abayomi Osisanya: Ring Around The Darkness for double bass and piano

About the Composition

This work is about my personal experience with the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. When I witnessed this amazing phenomenon, I was - as many people were - moved in an almost religious way, similar to an altar call in a church service.

It was as if it required and compelled a response from me. I was then reminded of Psalm 119:105, where David calls God's word "...light unto my path." The purpose of this piece in how it was written is to explore the almost tragic beauty of the ring of light from the sun that outlines the moon during the pinnacle of the total solar eclipse, a reminder that as dark as it may get, we still always have some light, somewhere, to help guide us!

About the Composer

Abayomi Osisanya is a music composition major at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and he studies double bass under Dr. Jack Unzicker and Professor Tyler Shepherd. Within the variety of works he writes, he composes mainly for orchestra and solo double bass, as those are the two areas he's most passionate about. He has played with the UTA Symphony Orchestra since 2019, including their 2023 performance at the Texas Music Educators Association Annual Convention.

His compositions have been performed at the University of North Texas Bradetich Summer Bass camp in 2019, UTA's 24*24 Recitals, and at masterclasses with Bill Clay, Eddie Gomez, Brian Perry, and many other bass players. Recent projects include a symphony and a religiously informed suite of solo double bass pieces. When he is not composing or playing double bass, he enjoys cooking and spending time with his church friends and family.