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Shibboleths (2015)
Shibboleths (2015)
Ten Movements for String Quartet
commissioned by the 2015 NextNOW Fest for Invoke
(String Quartet: 2 Violins, Viola, Cello)
10 minutes
Published by Alias Press
On June 25th, 2014 I attended the launch party for WQXR’s 'Meet The Composer' radio program at WNYC’s Greene Space in Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. The party included “a star-studded array of dynamic, award-winning performers” and composers of the new music world. One of the pieces that night was by composer Andrew Norman. His string quartet, Peculiar Strokes, was performed by the Attaca Quartet and is “an open-ended collection of miniatures, each of which explores a particular, peculiar bow stroke. Movements from the set can be extracted, mixed, and matched in any order.” Listening to the work I was intrigued by the idea of very short movements that could stand on their own individually, but also could make up a larger collection of music if performed together. When I was commissioned by the NextNow Fest in 2015 to compose a piece for the Invoke Quartet, I immediately thought of the idea behind Andrew Norman’s piece.
Shibboleths premiered at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland on September 11, 2015 by the string quartet Invoke. The word ‘shibboleth’ in Hebrew means “stream” but the meaning has since been broaden and now defined in English as “a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief” or “a widely held belief” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Ten Movements for String Quartet
commissioned by the 2015 NextNOW Fest for Invoke
(String Quartet: 2 Violins, Viola, Cello)
10 minutes
Published by Alias Press
On June 25th, 2014 I attended the launch party for WQXR’s 'Meet The Composer' radio program at WNYC’s Greene Space in Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. The party included “a star-studded array of dynamic, award-winning performers” and composers of the new music world. One of the pieces that night was by composer Andrew Norman. His string quartet, Peculiar Strokes, was performed by the Attaca Quartet and is “an open-ended collection of miniatures, each of which explores a particular, peculiar bow stroke. Movements from the set can be extracted, mixed, and matched in any order.” Listening to the work I was intrigued by the idea of very short movements that could stand on their own individually, but also could make up a larger collection of music if performed together. When I was commissioned by the NextNow Fest in 2015 to compose a piece for the Invoke Quartet, I immediately thought of the idea behind Andrew Norman’s piece.
Shibboleths premiered at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland on September 11, 2015 by the string quartet Invoke. The word ‘shibboleth’ in Hebrew means “stream” but the meaning has since been broaden and now defined in English as “a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief” or “a widely held belief” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Thanks and credit to all the original photos on this website to: David Andrako, Concrete Temple Theatre, Marcy Begian, Mark Elzey, Ed Lefkowicz, Donald Martinez, Kimberly McCollum, Geoff Ogle, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Daniel Wolf-courtesy of Roulette, Andrew Robertson, Viscena Photography, Jennifer Kang, Carolyn Wolf, Mark Elzey, Karen Wise, Numinosito. The Numinous Changing Same album design artwork by DM Stith. The Numinous The Grey Land album design and artwork by Brock Lefferts. Contact for photo credit and information on specific images.