A Duke Moment Takes Flight
Back To Recording Ciompi has been back in the recording studio for the first time in seven years, at the results pay a great homage to Duke University.For the first time in seven years, Ciompi releases a new album. Marking Duke University’s Centennial Celebration, this release brings together works by three Duke composers who have…
Ciompi Reflects and Refreshes
Taking A Moment To Review Ciompi violist Jonathan Bagg looks back on a stacked spring as the quartet gears up for another exciting season ahead.The Ciompi had an incredibly ambitious agenda this spring season: among other things, we performed Duttilleux’s Ainsi La Unit, Schoenberg’s Quartet No. 4, Bartok No. 4, a new 5-movement work by…
Move Fast, Break Things
by Jacob Smith Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project. Program Note “Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.” – Mark Zuckerberg This quote, attributed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding his company’s approach to innovation, has received both widespread acclaim and criticism since…
Z Javorinky II
by Ronja Mokranova Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project. Program Note Written for the Ciompi Quartet the piece is based on the composer’s memory of a meadow in the Czech mountains called Javořinka, where the famous Kubelík family lived in a wooden cabin during WWII. Above the cabin is a hill on…
Foxfire
by Clem Pearson Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project. Program Note Foxfire is a piece about the stillness of night, and about places that seem to bridge the gap to another world. There are many such places in the hills where I grew up. In Foxfire, I imagine a strange glow coming…
The Dead Dog and Pony Show
by Erich Barganier Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project. Program Note The Dead Dog And Pony Show is inspired by the ecological philosophies of Timothy Morton, as well as an article by Włodarczyk Justyna and Jack Harrison titled “Discordant Harmonies: Interspecies Relations in the United States.” The article centers on interspecies harmony,…
Maybe Next Time
by Allyson (Ally) C. Harvel Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project. Program Note Thematically, the piece grapples with the loss of a relationship, friendship, or loved one and ultimately leans on the idea that maybe in the next life or when they meet again, everything will work out differently. Composer Biography Allyson…
