Duet for Concert Bowls and Kitchen Viola was written on the request of the Piedmont Duo, Ayn Balija (viola) and I-Jen Fang (percussion). Since the pair often travel for their performances, my hope was to limit the scale of the percussion setup as much as possible, while still allowing for a diverse sound world. My solution was an exploration of metal mixing bowls. A set of mixing bowls produces an incredibly broad range of timbres and pitches that are fascinating and wonderful on their own. Comparing and contrasting this unconventional instrument with the more common sounds of a viola reveals a great many intersections between their otherwise unique textures. With the help of Ayn and I-Jen, who are both wonderful collaborators, I was able to create a broad color palette of sounds for this work. By employing a variety of experimental techniques, my hope with this piece is to illuminate the fascinating and wonderful domain of sounds shared by these instruments.

Links: Score

Performed by the Piedmont Duo (Ayn Balija and I-Jen Fang).