PROGRAM

Driftless (2021) - James Romig

nor the moon by night (2026) - James Caldwell
Craig Hultgren, ecello

Striving for Air (2026) - Hong-Da Chin

Sin-eater (2018) - Aaron Hynds
Aaron Hynds, trombone

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Driftless, for solo cello, was written for Craig Hultgren and New Music Festival 2022 at Western Illinois University. The piece articulates a very slow 7:8:9 polyrhythm over the course of approximately ten minutes, radually revealing a collection of six pitch classes. Amplification and long reverb allow the cello to perform in counterpoint with itself, creating a halo of overlapping harmonies and timbres. The work's title refers to the Driftless Area, a region comprising parts of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that was bypassed during the last ice age and is therefore topographically distinct from the flat landscape usually associated with the midwestern United States. Craig Hultgren, to whom the work is dedicated, makes his home on a farm in this beautiful land of steep hills, forested ridges, and sculpted river valleys.