Duet (1995)
for harp and guitar

 

Commissioned by Grete Dollitz

 

COMPOSER'S NOTE

An Hour With the Guitar was a weekly radio show produced by Grete Dollitz at WCVE-FM public radio station in Richmond, Virginia. It was a favorite of the guitar-playing and guitar-loving community in the Richmond area in the 1980s and 1990s. When Grete asked me if I would accept a commission to write a piece for guitar in any setting, I was pleasantly surprised and immediately accepted her offer. I chose the combination of harp and guitar for the composition because my sister Alicia Romeo is a harpist, and I am a classical guitarist. Over time, it developed and was refined, as she and I performed it many times in touring performances by the Lyric Ensemble, a chamber music group that I formed and directed, for more than ten years, for the purpose of performing my music.

The work was first performed by the Lyric Ensemble at 'First Night Harrisonburg', Harrisonburg, VA, in 1995.