I wrote Duo with Martin Chalifour’s fun-loving spirit in mind and with full knowledge that I would also get to work with the amazing violist Jenni Seo. While pondering how to start this piece, I kept returning to the fourth movement of Hindemith’s Viola Sonata No. 1, Op. 25, a well-known work in the viola world that is fast-paced and very exciting to watch someone perform. Hindemith’s curious title

(“Raging; Wild; Tonal beauty is of secondary importance”) always felt a bit tongue-in-cheek for how flashy the movement is, causing me to approach it with a little humor. The piece’s well-placed syncopations reminded me of the funk-based band Tower of Power (a band I really love), which inspired me to play with the two influences until a loose hybrid emerged. Funk and Gebrauchsmusik aside, the piece was written to be silly yet intense, sparkly, and, overall, a good time. —Celka Ojakangas