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Fractured Sky - String Orchestra

Fractured Sky

String Orchestra

ca. 4'40"

Grade 4

Savage rhythmic energy collides with moments of refinement and beauty in this driving contemporary work for string orchestra.

AT A GLANCE

Style

Relentless • Energetic • Driving


Selected Performances & Recognition

2026 ASTA Conference
Zagreb Sinfonietta
Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra String Intensive


What Makes It Unique

The music shifts between gritty, rhythmic intensity and more refined moments, allowing ensembles to explore a wide range of character and style within a single work.


Musical Influences

Igor Stravinsky
Béla Bartók
Pablo de Sarasate – Zigeunerweisen
Jennifer Higdon


Why I Wrote This Piece

Written for Livermore High School Chamber Strings and their 2026 ASTA performance, creating a colorful and stylistically varied work that could be learned quickly without sacrificing artistic depth.

LISTEN
00:00 / 04:44

Performed by the Zagreb Sinfonietta
Miran Vaupotić, conductor

SCORE PREVIEW
Instrumentation
Full String Orchestra

Notes
• Brief divisi a3 in Violin I and Viola

VIDEOS

Performed by the Zagreb Sinfonietta
Miran Vaupotić, conductor

Scrolling Score

PDF & Print editions available

Want to hear about more new music like this?

I send new pieces, recordings, and invites to new music projects about once a month.

PROGRAM NOTE

Fractured Sky captures the energy of an otherworldy horizon. The music paints a picture of light and sparks ripping through a charged atmosphere, where dark, striking violence erupts against radiant colors. Textures and grit collide with brief flashes of beauty and moments of unexpected tranquility.


This work was commissioned by the Livermore High School Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Justin Enright for the 2026 American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Conference in San Francisco.

Original Cover Photo by

Ruan Richard Rodrigues

Questions about the piece?

Please reach out if there's anything I can do to help as you explore this piece.

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BROWSE THE FULL CATALOG

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