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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Flow, Riffs, and Running Bass

by Shawn E. Okpebholo

Instrumentation
Cello, Orchestra
Composed
2025
Duration
10'
Publisher
Yellow Einstein Press (solo part with piano reduction; via Ficks Music)
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About this piece

Flow, Riffs, and Running Bass is a 10-minute concertino for cello and orchestra (2025) written for Gabriel Cabezas. It was co-commissioned by the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, Concert Artists Guild, Sphinx and the American Composers Orchestra. The piece draws on rhythms, sonorities and grooves from Black diasporic and Latin musical traditions, with the cello moving between lyrical lines and near-improvisatory riffs. It is published with a piano reduction.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Professional

Left Hand

  • Complete command of the fingerboard.
  • Proficient thumb position across all strings.
  • Execute complex double stops and rapid trills precisely.
  • Fast scales and leaps with precise intonation and speed.
  • Apply expressive techniques (portamenti, micro‑adjusted intonation) tastefully.
  • Easily execute false harmonics.

Right Hand

  • Seamlessly blends martelé, spiccato, sautillé, legato & ricochet.
  • Meticulous bow distribution for sustained lines or rapid passages.
  • Clear pianissimo to controlled fortissimo.
  • Economical, efficient bow movement with smooth transitions.
  • Employ advanced effects (ponticello, bow effects) artistically.

Musicality

  • Focus on a deeply personal, communicative performance.
  • Make interpretive choices reflecting deep understanding of form, style & emotion.
  • Convey nuanced phrasing, wide dynamic range & a unique artistic voice.
  • Craft dramatic cadenzas/solos with rubato, tone & expressive timing.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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