Rob Hutchinson just finished his ninth year as associate professor of music at the University of Puget Sound, where he teaches composition, orchestration, musical analysis, counterpoint, jazz improvisation, and music theory. His compositions have been performed by the Charleston Symphony, Northwest Sinfonietta, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma Youth Symphony, and wind ensembles in California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington, Vermont, and Virginia.

Recent compositions include the Forest Nocturnal Triptych for wind ensemble (2009), Concerto for Violin and Wind Ensemble(2009), As the Blue Night Descends Upon the World for wind ensemble (2007, rev. 2008), Fantasia on Themes of Mozart for string orchestra (2006), and Dancing on the Strand for wind ensemble (2004).

In his spare time, he enjoys playing jazz bass with big bands and combos, and reading, particularly science fiction and fantasy books and The New Yorker magazine. In the summers, he likes to take advantage of living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest by hiking and camping with his family and friends.

About the Work

In this composition, I’m balancing an intellectual approach—music tightly unified by limited motivic material—with an intuitive approach—expressive lyricism, colorful harmonies and textures, and rhythms that are sometimes graceful and flowing, sometimes syncopated and jazz-influenced. Because the music is highly rhythmic and dance-like throughout, and because string quartet performance requires intricate coordination, the title Pas de Quatre made perfect sense!