Composer Frank Felice, creator of “Charismata.”
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025
When you press play on Charismata, you’re not just listening to a quartet, you’re stepping into a sound world where four very different voices collide, cooperate, and question one another. Clarinet, alto saxophone, violoncello, and percussion form an unlikely ensemble, but in the hands of composer Frank Felice, they pull off something that feels both ancient and off-the-wall modern.
Felice himself describes Charismata as a musical exploration of the “Gifts of the Spirit” from the First Book of Corinthians, which already tells you this isn’t a standard chamber piece. According to Felice, the music moves through moments that are “sweet, frantic, soft, acerbic, and insistent.” It’s a descriptor that proves true within seconds. You hear gentleness give way to chaos, then land suddenly in a place that feels contemplative again. It’s a journey with personality.
The Composer Behind the Sound
Frank Felice, an Indiana-based composer and professor at Butler University, has built a career on what he calls “post-modern mischievousness.” While his catalogue spans orchestral, electroacoustic, choral, and chamber works, he’s not interested in being predictable. He’s said that composing, for him, is less about divine lightning bolts and more about “form and craft”, shaping ideas with intention.
That philosophy comes through clearly in Charismata. The piece doesn’t wander; it pivots, with purpose. Every sharp turn in texture or mood feels engineered to keep the listener actively in the dialogue.
Why Charismata Works
The instrumentation is bold, and that’s part of the fun. This mix of reeds, cello, and percussion creates a sound palette that keeps shifting under you. Nothing blends quite the way you expect and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.
There’s also a spiritual thread running through it. Even if you don’t catch the biblical reference, you can feel the piece wrestling with something bigger, something just out of reach.
Emotionally, it hits without ever slipping into sentimentality. Felice plays with contrast, delicate, fragile lines interrupted by sudden percussive bursts and it stretches your ear and your mood in the best way.
It’s approachable, too. You can track the back-and-forth between the instruments, even when things get a little gritty or angular. It invites you in without ever talking down to you.
Want to Hear It for Yourself?
You can listen to Charismata right here on SoundCloud:
👉🏿 https://soundcloud.com/felice-composer/charismata
If Felice’s sound world intrigues you, you can explore much more of his work and background:
- Official Website: scores, audio, and updates
🔗 https://www.frank-felice.com - Butler University Repository: published works and program notes
🔗 https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/felice_composition/
Charismata rewards curiosity. Rooted in ancient text and shaped through modern chamber writing, it gives each instrument a strikingly human voice. It invites you in, challenges you a bit, and lingers long after. Listen closely and you may hear the “Gifts of the Spirit” appear in unexpected places.
