For Fred for Violin and Piano

For Fred was written in memory of the legendary Chicago-based saxophonist Fred Anderson, in whose band I played piano when I was 16 years old. When he passed away in 2010, I wanted to write something in his memory, but couldn’t find the right instrumental combination after starting the work several times. I finally settled on Violin and Piano as the perfect way to express the full range of emotions that I felt. 
The work starts out with an Elegy. You might hear an echo of church bells in the repetitive theme in the right hand of the piano. After a dramatic and emotional passage in the violin, similar to a vocal recitative, the Elegy shifts to a more upbeat section, entitled “His Legacy Lives On.” This section recalls the music that Fred Anderson played in his nightclub, where the bass player would play a repeating figure and Fred would improvise on that figure. The Elegy returns, but is interrupted by a quiet ending. Below is a video of the performance of For Fred by the violinist Sini Virtanen and the pianist Eunmi Ko at the 2018 USF New Music Festival in Tampa, Florida.

For Fred for Violin and Piano is published by Universal Edition. Please Click Here for more information on how to get scores and parts.