the 50 state sonata project
(2016)
AMERIGO
Opus. 29
Instrumentation: Violin + Piano
Duration: 14.5 Minutes, Six Movements
Commissioned By: The Violinists of the 50 State Sonata Project
The 50 State Sonata Project brought new music quite literally to every corner of the US in 2016. Commissioned by violinists from nearly all 50 states, Amerigo for violin + piano is a six movement work—a movement for each time zone— that takes audiences on a cross-country trip of texture and resonance and mood as it gives focus to topography and nature and folk-music roots of those places. This was Part I of a two year project dedicated to the life and work of John Kendall, the man who brought the Suzuki method to the US in the 1960s and was (long, long ago) my violin teacher.
Dedicated to the life and work of John Kendall and commissioned by one violinist in each state in the US in 2015 as part of the 50 State Sonata Project, this sonata seeks to represent our country, paying special attention to each of its time zones while also bringing a fiercely-loved and possibly somewhat worn form into the 21st century. Amerigo contains six movements, the prologue and the epilogue representing in miniature our dear non-contiguous states while the larger movements in between cast shadows on the aura and energy of the Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern Time Zones. Each movement’s name is borrowed from a city within its timezone. Though chosen for the beauty of the city’s name, a little wikipedia research into the histories of the cities I chose most certainly lent me a salient point of view to the eventual tone and form of the material. My deep thanks to everyone who have helped shape this piece; we’ve done something big and beautiful here: helping the world feel a little smaller and making some music along the way.
perusal score
Details // Perks
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PDF Score + Part(s) sent via email within 2-3 business days. I’m excited to connect with you!
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I want to meet you! Purchase of this pdf in the 23/24 season comes with a 30 min zoom session, if you’d appreciate that during your rehearsal process. You’ll receive scheduling instructions in the delivery email with your music.
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If you already have a concert date in mind, you’ll receive instructions on sending me concert info in the delivery email with your music.
commissioners
Alabama
Jenny Gregoire
Concertmaster of Mobile Symphony, Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Alabama
Alaska
Bryan Emmon Hall
Concertmaster of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra
ARIZONA
Emily Nolan
Former Doctoral Student at the University of Arizona
ARKANSAS
ER-GENE KAHNG
Professor of Violin at the University of Arkansas and Concertmaster of Fort Smith Symphony
CALIFORNIA
ADRIANA TRIGGS
Member of the Mozart Classical Orchestra and Violin Teacher in Mission Viejo, California
COLORADO
CHING-HSUAN WANG
Former Doctoral Student at University of Northern Colorado
CONNECTICUT
CELIA ZHANG
Former student at Yale University
DELAWARE
NATALIE WILSON
Former Student at University of Delaware
FLORIDA
SHEENA GUTIERREZ
Sphinx Competition Semi-Finalist, Vice President of the Classical Virtuosi of Miami
GEORGIA
ADRIAN MUNDEN-DIXON
Member of the Savannah Philharmonic
HAWAII
DAREL STARK
Concertmaster of the Bach Chamber Orchestra, Assistant Principal Violin of the Hawaii Symphony
IDAHO
ROBERT WILSON
Former Student at Idaho State University
ILLINOIS
CONNOR ALLISON
Former Student at the Chicago College of Performing Arts
INDIANA
ERIK ROHDE
Former Director of String Activities and Orchestra at Indiana State University
IOWA
BEAU HENSON
Former Student at Gilbert High School, Member of the Klier String Quartet
KANSAS
CORA COOPER
Professor of Violin and Viola at Kansas State University, Author of Violin Music by Women: A Graded Anthology.
KENTUCKY
FRANK RESTESAN
Concertmaster of St. Peters by the Sea Symphony Orchestra, Faculty at the Rutgers University Preparatory Division
LOUISIANA
MICHAEL BLANEY
Director of Orchestra and Instructor of Violin at University of Louisiana-Lafayette
MAINE
FERDINAND LIVA
Member of the DaPonte String Quartet
MARYLAND
YONATAN GRINBERG
Former Doctoral Student at The Peabody Institute and Teaching Assistant of Violaine Melancon
MASSACHUSETTS
JANNY JOO
Violinist of the Meadowlark Trio, Former Doctoral Student at Boston University
MICHIGAN
LAUREN PULCIPHER
Former Masters Student at The University of Michigan
MINNESOTA
HSUAN-WEN LIN
Director of the Conservatory of Music at the Yinghua Academy
MISSOURI
TONY MORALES
Former Concertmaster of the Missouri University Philharmonic, Member of the Missouri Symphony
MONTANA
SARAH HARMSWORTH
Former Principal Second Violin of the Missoula Symphony
NEBRASKA
ALEXIS NACHTIGAL
Former Member of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra
NEVADA
STEPHANIE SANT’AMBROGIO
Former Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony, Associate Professor of Violin at The University of Nevada, Reno
NEW HAMPSHIRE
VIKTORIA TCHERTCHIAN
Member of the New Hampshire Music Festival
NEW MEXICO
NICOLLE MANIACI
Member of the New Mexico Philharmonic, Principle Second Violinist of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra
NEW YORK
MARIKO SHIMASAKI
Former Student at The Juilliard School
NORTH CAROLINA
JANET ORENSTEIN
Member of the Greensboro Symphony, Faculty at the UNCSA
NORTH DAKOTA
CARLOS BREÑA
Former Masters Student at The University of North Dakota, First Violinist of the UND Student String Quartet
OHIO
DANA JOHNSON
Former Student at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music
OKLAHOMA
CATIE RINDERKNECHT
Former Member of the Amarillo Symphony
OREGON
GRACE ROSIER
Former Student at Marist Catholic High School
PENNSYLVANIA
ALYSSA WANG
Former Student at Carnegie Mellon University
RHODE ISLAND
KATHERINE WINTERSTEIN
Artist Faculty at Brown University, Concertmaster of the Vermont Symphony
SOUTH DAKOTA
YI-CHUN LIN
Former Doctor of Musical Arts Student at the University of Michigan
TENNESSEE
INNA KARSHEVA
Former Student at the University of Tennessee School of Music
TEXAS
GIANCARLO LATTA
Former Student at Rice University Shepherd School of Music
UTAH
HASSE BORUP
Associate Professor of Violin and Head of String and Chamber Music Studies at The University of Utah School of Music
VERMONT
MARY ROWELL
Concertmaster of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra
VIRGINIA
BRENDON ELLIOTT
Former Student at The Curtis Institute
WASHINGTON
JULIA SALERNO
Professor of Violin and Viola at Eastern Washington University
WEST VIRGINIA
DIEGO GABETE
Former Doctoral Student at West Virginia University
WISCONSIN
BERNARD ZINCK
Associate Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at University of Wisconsin-Milwaulkee
WYOMING
JOHN FADIAL
Faculty at the University of Wyoming, Concertmaster of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra