With Sarah McMahill
a weaver of music, myofascial massage, creativities, and the enneagram
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Photo credit: Ken Sergi
MUSIC Compositions and Recordings
Current projects include: Seeing the Unseen, music for Catherine Bell's poem "On Listening", music for Andrew Burton's poem "Alleys"
Ceramic Personali-Tease
The origins of the name "Ceramic Personali-Tease" is multi-faceted. "Ceramic" is a play on the sound of my name and it also reflects one of the things I enjoy doing; molding clay. "Personali-Tease" plays with personality. There is an incredible array of different personalities around the world. This is my way of learning about my personality and about others. Creating music is one way that helps me to understand and process what I'm learning. Because of this you can hear different styles throughout. Sometimes there is a fusion of different styles. You can hear a range of sounds coming from my voice, clarinet, piano, Nord grand, synthesizers, various drums, baritone ukulele, alto sax, xylophone, and more!
I love creating for and with other people!
Contact me and we can talk about what you want to create.
Albums:
EnneaMuse: Suffering & Wholeness of the 9 Enneagram Types (2021)
Check out my works-in-progress for information about future albums!
CHORAL
Flex Voicing. Round. Language: English. 2024. Duration: 2:09. Commissioned by Katie Haun Schuring.
SATB. Language: English. 2023. Duration: 2:38. Poem by Andrew Burton.
SATB (divisi) with violin & cello. Language: English. Also available with piano accompaniment. 2023. Duration: 3:06.
SATB (divisi). Language: English. 2022. Duration: 2:16. Text based on a translation of the Sanskrit word "Namaste".
SATB (divisi) with English Horn. Language: English. 2023. Duration: 6:09. Poem by Andrew Burton
SATB or Treble Solo. Language: English. 2022. Duration: 2:12.
SATB with minimal divisi. Languages: English, Spanish, Turkish, French, Danish. 2023. Duration: 3:08. Dedicated to Living Table United Church of Christ in Minneapolis.
SMALL ENSEMBLE (1-5 MUSICIANS)
Autumn Twilight
Solo piano. 1996. Recorded for the first time in 2023.
Cat in a Sunbeam
Solo Kanklés (Lithuanian folk stringed instrument) or harp. 2024. Meditation music for the kanklés commissioned by Emilija Karaliūtė.
Dance of the Reeds: Family Dynamics Collection
Viola and bass clarinet duo. 2024. Dedicated to my nephew and sister-in-love.
Dragonfly Enneagram Center Theme
Violin and Cello. 2023.
Generations: Family Dynamics Collection
For 2 B flat clarinets and bass clarinet. 2023. Dedicated to my nephew and in memory of my grandpa Don.
Generations: Tone Poem for Clarinet, Violin, and Cello
*This work was a winner in the 30x30x30 project competition undertaken by Soli Chamber Ensemble in 2024.*
Dedicated to my family and in memory of those who have passed.
Heart and Head: Family Dynamics Collection
Tenor saxophone, B flat clarinet, and flute. 2023. Dedicated to one of my nieces and my oldest brother.
Learning to Fly
Viola, Clarinet, Piano, and Body Percussion. 2023.
Lisa's Song: Family Dynamics Collection
Bassoon. 2023. In memory of my sister.
Seasonal Snapshot: Summer
Piano, clarinet, cello, and claves. 2023.
Summer Breeze (YouTube)
Solo piano. 1996. Recorded for the first time in 2023.
Twists and Turns of the Universe
2 Voices (Soprano, Tenor), Piano, Clarinet, Cello, and Claves. 2023. Not available for purchase. Privately commissioned as a wedding gift.
Undoing of the Three
Solo Piano. 2024. Premiere by Fidan Aghayeva-Edler on August 31, 2024 during her 24-hour piano marathon.
"Undoing of the Three" is inspired by an earlier composition for voice and piano about enneagram type 3. This fast-paced solo piano version is constantly in motion like the typical three. The right hand shows off its ability to leap and dance around and doesn't let mistakes stop them from moving forward. As the three keeps on doing and doing without pause, more mistakes are made until something "undoes" them and they crash; they are made to slow down. You'll hear those mistakes as occasional dissonance early on in the music. The dissonance increases before the "glissando crash" at the ending.
St. Elisabeth Kirche Berlin, Germany
https://www.elisabeth.berlin/de/kulturkalender/24-stunden-piano-marathon-mit-fidan-aghayeva-edler-und-mareike-hein?fbclid=IwY2xjawEozYZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUR9H2iBTUyHLcgge1P9icBMbfnEAs93pTl_JkFy4eExyjxOSAS90ntNoA_aem_WrYRfqQO1Z5Lj8qtM86MTA
Unspoken Prayers of the Heart
String Quartet. 2023. Duration: 3:08. Dedicated to Living Table United Church of Christ in Minneapolis.
VOICE
What's in a Name?
Art Song. Treble voice with violin and cello. Duration: 7:30. Year Music Written: 2023. 2 Poems by Andrew Burton
EnneaMuse: Suffering and Wholeness
Art Song. 9-Song Cycle. Treble Voice and Piano. 2021.
This 9-song cycle goes through each of the nine enneagram points. The songs explore the suffering and the healing for each point. Songs include One: Perfectly Imperfect, Two: Connections, Three: Ninety Seconds, Four: Deep, Five: Step On Out, Six: Answers, Seven: Come on an Adventure, Eight: Teddy Bear in Combat Boots, Nine: Let There Be. The recordings have Mindy Eschedor on the piano, Andrea Leonard on vocals for songs Three, Seven, and Eight, and yours truly (Sarah McMahill) on One, Two, Four, Five, Six, and Nine. The recordings were originally used for an enneagram workshop that I co-led with Roland Legge in 2021. These songs had their Canadian premier April of 2022 in Kamloops, British Columbia. They were performed by contralto Theresa Takacs and pianist Dimiter Terziev.
Works In Progress/Commission & Consortium Opportunities
Below you'll find a list of songs that are in various stages of creation. The majority of the songs that are in-progress are passion projects. Your support by either donating, commissioning one of them or taking part of a consortium would mean the world to me. To do so please reach out by going to my contact page and send a message. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
CERAMIC PERSONALI-TEASE ALBUMS IN PROGRESS
Ring Out Wild Bells
Hide and Go Seek/Olly Olly Oxen Free
Mantra Dance
CHORAL SONGS IN PROGRESS
SA. Language: English. Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
SSAA. Language: English. Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
SSAA with body percussion. Language: English.
SATB. (Ceramic Personali-Tease created a different recording as part of an album in progress.) Language: English. Based on poem by Catherine Bell.
Fısılda Bana Gece (Whisper to me, oh night)
SA. Language: Turkish. Based on Poem by Özgü Işık Hafızoğlu.
SATB with jazz band and solos (spoken & singing). Language: English. Cantata about the Tulsa Race Riot in 1921. *Consortium Opportunity*
SAB. Round. Language: English.
SATB with piano. Language: English.
SATB with piano, solos (spoken & singing). Language: English. Oratorio about hidden diseases. *Consortium Opportunity!*
SATB with piano and Bb Clarinet. Language: English.
Flex Voicing. Language: English.
Stronger Together: Psalms of Unity
SATB. Language: English. Based on Jeff Foster's prayer for peace and select psalms.
SA with piano. Language: English. Based on Nhien Vuong's poem "The Crossing".
Flex Voicing. Language: English. In honor of Sara Thomsen, Sharon Day, and the Water Walkers from around the world.
When Words Fail, Just Keep Breathing
SATB. Language: English. In response to what's been happening in the world since the election of 2025.
SMALL ENSEMBLE (1-5 MUSICIANS)
Untitled
B flat clarinet, violin, bass.
I created a warm-up riff for myself in the mid 1990s. Summer of 2025 brought forth inspiration of what I could do with it.
LARGE ENSEMBLE (6+ MUSICIANS)
The Storm Chaser
Orchestra and Narrator.
Life: The Unfinished Symphony
Orchestra.
MIXED ENSEMBLES
SATB Choir with jazz band, piano, solos (spoken & singing). Language: English. Oratorio about hidden diseases. *Consortium Opportunity!*