Cahokia

for Cello and Piano

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Composed in the summer of 2015, this piece was a commissioned project by cellist, and good friend, Victor Huls. The inspiration for this piece came, no doubt, from the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, just east of the Mississippi River in Illinois. Upon hearing the ancient stories of the Cahokians, and visiting the site, my intrigue led to this composition. Although not a strict programmatic work, the themes and ideas in the piece have characteristics of Native American tunes. Additionally, the piece ends in a hurry with an exciting, dramatic gesture, symbolizing the mysterious sudden vanish of the Cahokian people.

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Cahokia was premiered July 2015 by Victor Huls, cello and Bonita Wyke, piano in Jacksonville, Florida.