(2026) SPINNING GLOBE

SPINNING GLOBE

A work for string ensemble
Music by Clarice Assad
Commissioned by the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College

Spinning Globe takes its title and its spirit from a child’s toy: a small globe that, once set spinning, becomes an invitation to adventure  to imagine the sounds, colors, and rhythms of faraway places. Assad’s piece moves through a series of contrasting musical “flavors” from around the world, each a brief postcard rather than an ethnographic survey, joined by driving repeated patterns and quick meter changes that keep the ensemble in constant, joyful motion.  Written for a string orchestra of about twenty-five players (violin, viola, cello, and bass), the piece is built for flexibility: tempos in the faster sections can be adjusted to the ensemble, solo lines may be simplified or opened up for improvisation, and the string writing itself favors simple rhythms and repeating figures over technical difficulty. A handful of added colors such as  tone chimes, tiny bells, and a vibraslap — along with a hand-clapping episode woven into the string texture, give the piece its percussive, playground-like character.  Above all, Assad conceived Spinning Globe as a piece of pure enjoyment: joyous and fun, colorful and contrasting both within itself and against the rest of a concert program.

INSTRUMENTATION
String Orchestra (approx. 25 players)
Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass

Additional instruments:
4 Tone Chimes (one per solo player)
Tiny Bells
Vibraslap

DURATION
Approximately 7–10 minutes

WORLD PREMIERE
December 2026
The Juilliard School, Paul Hall
Juilliard Pre-College String Orchestra
Conducted by Nicolas Olarte-Hayes

COMMISSION
Commissioned by the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College.