Shuttle, for viola solo, is the last work in a sequence of three solo pieces; each of these pieces serves not only as a solo, but also as one part of a string trio titled Weave. In the trio, the viola serves as a mediator between the fiercely independent violin and cello parts, drawing them together over the course of the work.

Played alone, the viola solo still conjures and refers to the larger trio. As the work opens the viola oscillates between the polar attractions of the shifting, angular lines which refer to the violin's music, and the rotating, repetitive elements which characterize the cello. Gradually, the viola braids these disparate features into a unified whole, discovering and constructing its own broadly flowing music as a result of the encounter with these contrasting foils.

Shuttle is dedicated to Mark Menzies.

Performances:
2006.02.04: Machine Project, Los Angeles, California
2005.11.18: Hotcakes Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2003.04.13: Music From the Edge Festival, Stanford University, California
Mark Menzies, viola

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