Kopiko

Listen to the work here!
 
Kopiko is a work for cello and marimba, part of an ongoing series entitled M+1. This is a series of mixed duets featuring the marimba, alongside a variety of woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and other instruments. Thirty-six duets have been planned out, of which Kopiko is the first, and these duets, following from the letter-and-number-infused title of the series, begin with letters or numbers covering the alphabet and Arabic numerals (A-Z, 0-9) once each.
 
Kopiko is named after the coffee bean and the associated candy, and as a musical composition it precedes (and in fact inspired) the concept of the M+1 series. On a rough morning during my sophomore year of high school, I arrived to class at the beginning of zeroth period (a 7:00 am start to the day for students of the school’s magnet program), feeling emotionally drained and on the verge of falling asleep in class. My friend whom I sat next to quietly passed me a Kopiko candy, and as I had grown up less popular in school, I was incredibly touched by this simple act of kindness and compassion. As I was later practicing front ensemble exercises for my school’s marching band, one such exercise brought to mind this kind gesture in its musical character, and it inspired me to write a duet for cello (they were a cellist in our school’s orchestra) and marimba. It was my way of returning this compassion, and our friendship has lasted to this day. Following this, I developed this series of mixed duets featuring the marimba, all commissioned by or at least silently dedicated to friends and loved ones.