Skye Neal is a 14 year old composer and musician from Portland, Oregon. One of her biggest sources for musical inspiration is the gorgeous wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. These sights, sounds, and feelings have worked their way into her compositions, creating rich sound worlds of melodious birdsong, rushing rivers, and towering forests. 

Skye has studied composition with Dr. Mátti Kovler since 2017. Her pieces have won recognition by Music Teachers National Association, Oregon Music Education Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, Tribeca New Music, and Young Women's Composition Competition. She is in her sixth year participating in Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project. 

Some recent performances (video recordings available below):

• In March 2024 the premier of her newest composition The Birds was performed by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony's Camerata string ensemble. 

• In January 2024, Monica Ohuchi and Kenji Bunch of Fear No Music performed her duet for piano and viola Romance in G Major. 

• In May 2023 Pacific Youth Choir performed her first choral piece titled Dawn Chorus.

• In November 2022, her first full orchestral piece Minuet was performed by Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s advanced orchestra. 

• In the spring of 2022, her piece Epiphany was performed by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony's advanced string ensemble as well as by the Tualatin High School string orchestra. 

In May 2024 she looks forward to hearing the premier of her newest composition Adagio for Strings by Lake Oswego High School's Symphony Orchestra.

When Skye isn’t composing or making music, you might find her rowing on the Willamette River or bird watching in a local park.

Ten year old Skye Neal was the youngest composer to be featured on the All Classical Radio program, On Deck With Young Musicians. This interview with Christa Wessel features her pieces Secret Place Suite and Following the Stream.

Trio Sonata No. 1 in C Major begins by jumping directly into the exposition, with a very jubilant main theme. Afterwards it transitions to a softer, more peaceful second subject. The melody trades between the flute and the violin before diving into a quick development section. Following a long crescendo passage, the main theme returns to round out the piece.  I love writing sonatas because of how the constrained structure unlocks a whole world of creative freedom. 

Performed by Fear No Music's Young Composers Project in April 2024.

As an enthusiastic birdwatcher, I was inspired to write this piece to highlight birdsong and bird behavior. The opening movement revolves around my favorite shorebirds, specifically soras, killdeer, and sandpipers. The hurried flutter of the notes in the main theme captures their song and their hurried steps as they scatter away from the waves. In the second movement, I paint an aural picture of raptors gracefully soaring higher and higher, until they seem to be nothing but a speck of dust in the sky. In the third movement, we hear a melody that imitates the gorgeous spiraling song of the swainson’s thrush, and the cheery calls of the robins. At the end of the piece we return to the sea to listen to the shorebirds once more.

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony's Camerata ensemble, and performed in February 2024.

Romance in G Major is a two-part romance for viola and piano. A romance is a short, light, very lyrical piece often for voice or a solo instrument. The first movement, graceful and smooth, is written in ABA form, the middle section a sharp contrast to the flowing arpeggios of the beginning, with spiccato passages in the viola and the piano taking over the melody. The second movement follows a traditional sonata-allegro form, immediately jumping into a light, bouncing melody that grows and develops as the piece goes on. Later, we hear a second contrasting theme, with more chromatic patterns in the piano, and double stops in the viola creating tension. This tension eventually fades back into the original theme, which leads to a grand finale.

Performed by Fear No Music's Monica Ohuchi and  Kenji Bunch in January 2024.

I was inspired to write Discoveries during a road trip my family took last summer across central and southeastern Oregon. The first movement, written in a traditional sonata allegro form, is about the city of Bend. The quick tempo and fast runs in the first violins convey liveliness, while the sharp changes in dynamics represent a sense of adventure. After a short coda, the second movement describes our arrival at Malheur lake, an oasis in the middle of endless fields of sagebrush. It begins with a pulsing ostinato in the cellos and basses and harmonics in the first violins representing the steady drone of the mosquitoes. The violas join in with a lyrical melody which the violins then build upon. These melodies, representing the pristine waters and serene environment, gradually build to a climactic ending. As the third movement begins, birds start to sing all around, including the sage thrasher - an unassuming small brown bird known for singing very long, complex songs. The music in the third movement mirrors the beauty of the sage thrasher's song, with the main melody in the first violins and complex arpeggiated harmonies in the second violins. 

This piece is inspired by the dawn chorus that happens every morning when birds begin to sing their beautiful songs. It's a truly magical feeling to get to experience, which I tried to capture in this composition. Similarly to how the birdsong will gradually grow in intensity, my piece grows in dynamic as the piece progresses towards the climax. The lyrics describe how as soon as the sun rises “all voices [are] hushed, [but] then one lone melody drifts by,” and as the morning goes on, “more have gathered now […] just to share their songs.” Meanwhile, fluttering motifs and ornaments in the piano represent the birds flying around in the trees all around you. I hope you can see the birds happily flying around as you listen.

Commissioned and performed by the Pacific Youth Choir's middle school Girlchoir in May 2023

A minuet is a slow and graceful dance in 3/4 time that is typical of the Baroque and Classical eras. I took some inspiration for this piece from a few of my favorite minuets by Haydn. I especially enjoy how his music can be both elegant and cheerful at the same time. In Minuet, I tried to combine a classical style with my own sense of liveliness to make a light, skipping dance. I hope this piece brings a smile to your face.

Commissioned and performed by the Portland Metropolitan Youth Symphony's advanced orchestra in November 2022

Epiphany started as a tune that popped into my head one day and started growing in complexity and intensity until I finally had to sit down and write it. The main theme is meant to sound like the powerful whirlwind of ideas that were rushing through my head. The melody is split up between the first and second violins, with contrasting sections placed in-between the different variations. At the end, a new melody takes over while the other instruments provide an interweaving counterpoint.

Performed by the Tualatin High School Orchestra June 2022.

I wrote Waltz in Bb Major to combine my love of waltzes with my interest in

exploring new patterns and progressions. In the past, I had included the

waltz form as movements of other works and found them to be highly

engaging, so I was inspired to compose a full waltz for chamber ensemble.

This piece begins with a light, bouncing accompaniment in the piano before

the violin begins to sing with a gorgeous melody, interplaying with some

flourishes in the piano. This theme develops in a conversational style, an

answer to every question, before it jumps to a new, brighter section in the

high register of the piano. However, it's not long before we return to the

original theme and finish with a grand ending. I'm hoping the listener will

imagine a festive ballroom scene with couples dancing and enjoying

themselves in a light and welcoming atmosphere, moving in steps that are

simple and sweet, gradually becoming more intricate as the piece

progresses.

Performed by Inés Voglar Belgique and Judith Gordon at Chatter Sunday concert in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  December 2021

In Following the Stream I like to imagine the sounds I might hear while walking alongside a stream running through varying terrains. First, there is the delicate tinkling of water flowing over pebbles and rocks. As night begins to fall, we enter a woodland forest to find a group of fairies performing their midnight dance. After this, we trek further into the woods and experience the exciting energy of the wilderness and creatures within. In the coda, we emerge from the woods to celebrate the adventures we have had.

Commissioned and performed by the Portland Youth Philharmonic Young String Ensemble in May 2021.