Serenata

for solo violin and sinfonietta (flute, clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, strings)

Premiered by Anna Lee (violin) and Maura Tuffy (conductor) on April 21, 2022 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Note:

During the Baroque period of Western Classical Music, a serenata (or serenade) typically referred to a composition for vocalists and orchestra performed outdoors in evening concerts. While my version of this genre uses a violinist as opposed to a vocalist, I did envision the piece as an extended song of sorts for the soloist. The music performed by the solo violin tends toward being lyrical and spacious rather than explicitly virtuosic, creating an organic and free-flowing atmosphere that attempts to evoke the outdoor, open-air affect of the piece’s namesake.