Serenata Notturna was commissioned by the Avonia Institute in Finland for their guitar orchestra, and first performed in Turku in 2018.

The three movements of the Serenata Notturna are similar to Mozart’s piece of the same name – a March, a Waltz (Mozart’s was a Minuet), and a Rondo. Each movement having its own distinctive character and mood.

There was an interesting request in the commission that had a pedagogical slant. I was asked that each movement would explore specific intervals so that the children would not only have the benefit of learning a new piece but it would also contribute to ear training. For this reason each movement has a subtitle that pairs related intervals; for example, the first movement is 2nds and 7ths. In each movement the main theme is built from the intervals in a melodic relationship, but then subsidiary material uses the intervals harmonically.

Serenata Notturna for string orchestra is an arrangement that was commissioned by the Avonia Institute in Finland of the piece I wrote for their guitar orchestra.