Letters from Home was originally commissioned by Lila Brissette as a duo for violin and cello for a dear friend she had fallen out of touch with, put with whom she could pick up the friendship at any time as if no time had elapsed between their meetings. I have a lot of friendships like this, and, during the time I took to compose the work, I had my first experience composing for string quartet (Three Aviaries for Oboe, English Horn, Narrator, and String Quartet). I asked Lila if I could expand the commission to string quartet, and she vociferously agreed.
A sprawling work in two movements, Letters from Home begins with four solos, each played asynchronously to one another — four friends, distant and separated from one another. In the second movement, the four players of the ensemble come together and reunite — four friends, still triumphant, hilarious, dramatic, and sensitive to one another.
Letters from Home is under exclusivity with the Carpe Diem String Quartet until its premiere.