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Tight Ropes, for flute, violin, cello, percussion, and piano, contains two main ideas. The first is a drawn-out motive in which various instruments repeat the same notes relentlessly; the second is a short, ritornello-like outburst from the whole ensemble. The juxtaposition of these two ideas creates a cycle of mounting tension and sudden release, not unlike a rope stretched taut until it breaks. Tight Ropes was written in 2014 and performed in workshop by Ensemble Dal Niente. It received its concert premiere the same year in Bloomington, Indiana with flautist Robin Meiksins, violinist Nidhal Jebali, cellist Maya Nojiri, percussionist Andrea Scheibel, and pianist Yuhao Chen.

Recording: Robin Meiksins, flute; Isaac Allen, violin; Miles Edwards, cello; Keegan Sheehy, percussion; Kathy Lee, piano (Bloomington, Indiana, 2015)