Nerd Songs
Kenneth Froelich
About this work:
As a child growing up in the 80s, it was often very difficult to come to terms with my identity. I was a nerd. That meant I was shunned by my peers, pursued obscure and often obtuse hobbies that few others understood, and spent much of my childhood on my own. Being a nerd was simply not accepted during this period of time. So, as a teenager I worked to hide this identity as much as possible - in effect living a double-life between pursuing nerdy hobbies at home and conveying (quite poorly) a "cooler" exterior to my peers. I am thus quite fortunate that, in recent years, being a nerd is not the stigma that it was once. As a result, I have been able to not only accept my identity as a nerd - but fully embrace it. Make no mistake - Nerd Songs is a labor of love, representing everything that I enjoyed as a child, now brought forth with pride..
Each song within the cycle directly references subjects that are near-and-dear to my geeky soul. Classic role-playing games, Super Mario Bros., the BASIC computer language, Star Trek, and a small list of 80s television shows each serve as the inspiration of both the text and the music for each piece. These topics also happen to be passionate pursuits of mine - hobbies and interests that I indulged in as a child and teenager, and continue to pursue even today.
Year composed: 2012
Duration: 00:11:20
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with Keyboard
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Composed for high soprano