Joropo

Premiered at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

Piano Preludes Collaboration

This piece is inspired by joropo, the traditional folk style of the Venezuelan Llanos. A typical Joropo ensemble features cuatro, harp, and maracas, but often expanded to include bandola, mandolin, bass, and voice. I sought to translate the energy and feel of these instruments into solo piano, particularly the plucked strings of the harp, the cuatro's rolled chords, and the distinctive staccato articulation associated with bandola playing.