I composed The Mixolydian Mixup while studying composition under Geert D'hollander during my year of study in Mechelen, and first performed the piece as my required composition for graduation from the Royal Carillon School. A bit on the title: "Mixup" refers to the somewhat unusual combination of musical styles that appear in the music: funk, blues, classic rock, pop, and chant. Funk jazz rhythms permeate the piece, inspired primarily by the incessant rhythms that I find myself tapping my fingers to when nothing particularly interesting is going on. With a jazz piano background, I could not help but include an occasional blues line and the optional 12-bar blues interlude on page 2. The more melodic sections of the piece mix a classic rock chord progression with a progression taken directly from Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." Finally, the chant enters primarily to lend the audience (and the performer) a break from the driving tempo and complex rhythms. Throughout this "mixup" of styles, the piece repeatedly returns to the mixolydian mode, which provides the glue that holds the whole thing together.

—Joey Brink