My first reading with the American Composers Orchestra, under the direction of the amazing and wonderful composer Kevin James. Conceived in early 2016, this piece focuses on extended string techniques, mainly using the cello as a drum. It begins with a dissonant chorale, easing into an E minor chord before delving into the meat of the piece. The 5/4 groove in the cello beating and viola ostinato creates a bright and jolly feeling, before descending into greater lengths of screaming dissonant violin hell. A brief transitional period leads to a restatement of the chorale from earlier, followed by a light pizzicato section that slowly builds up into a driving viola rhythm and even more cello drumming. I finally restate the original “chorus” with counterpoint in all instruments, since the cello seemed to be getting closer to a percussionist at this point, before ending it on a cheerful note. While this is one of my older pieces and I have some qualms about my lack of theoretical knowledge at the time and the cohesiveness of the piece, it is still one of the pieces that I am the most proud of, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.