Way back in 2014-2015, I wrote my string quartet Many Many Cadences, which has since become one of my most signature and well-known pieces. In that piece, I use formulaic chord progressions from Classical and Romantic period music, but I stretch the listeners’ perception by re-contextualizing these predictable chord progressions into very fast cells that are constantly changing key and register. These disjunct chord progressions eventually congeal and transform into new kinds of phrases and sound objects. 

As an oboist myself, I have always wanted to write a new iteration of this idea for woodwind quintet, and I’m so glad that the Knoxville Symphony has given me the perfect chance to do so! And Many More Cadences uses woodwind-specific techniques to transform and distort the many cadences in (hopefully) surprising and beguiling ways.