Length: 9 minutes
Composed: 2015
Commissioned: Kalindi Bellach
Premiere by: June 17, 2016. Kalindi Bellach, Original Gravity Concert Series, Chelsea, MA.

Program Note: Pivot for viola and live electronics begins as an exploration of color and rhythm with the viola acting as a makeshift percussion instrument and electronics controller. At a certain point, pitched notes begin to appear and the piece shifts gears. A lyrical melody emerges, accompanied by a slow-moving harmonic progression created by electronic loops of notes from the melody. Using custom-designed software, the violist directly controls the playback of a variety of samples while playing, combined with live processing that melds the acoustic and electronic into a hybrid super-instrument. Samples are taken from recordings of Steve Reich, James Brown, Helmut Lachenmann, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Ravi Shankar, George Lewis, Sly and the Family Stone, Dan VanHassel, John Luther Adams, and Buddy Rich.