for cello and orchestra | ca. 10′
winner of the 2015 William Schuman Prize from BMI and a 2015 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award
The word ‘strain’ can mean a number of different things: it can describe the act of pushing something beyond the normal limit; it can imply a tendency towards certain behavior. It can also refer to a lyrical kind of music. In this piece, I wanted to create all of these things.
Completed in the fall of 2013, strain was written for and is dedicated to Michael Kaufman, a longtime friend and champion of my music, whose consummate, fearless musicianship proved emboldening and inspiring in the composition of the work.
The premiere was given on February 28, 2014 by Michael Kaufman and the USC Thornton Symphony, conducted by Donald Crockett.
Recording from the premiere, Michael Kaufman & USC Thornton Symphony (mp3)
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daniel silliman \\ sound & composition 