PERFORMERS
- Emilie Anne Gendron, violin
- Guillermo Laporta, flute
- Julia Yang, cello
- Matthew Cohen, viola
ABOUT THE CONCERT
Afilador (2022) by Spanish cellist-composer Andrea Casarrubios was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for its MusicNOW series and originally scored for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello. The title refers to the afilador, the itinerant knife-sharpener who once roamed Spanish streets announcing his trade on a small pan-flute; that whistle, steeped in childhood nostalgia, becomes a central musical gesture of the piece. In this version, adapted by the composer for CreArtBox, the flute returns to evoke the sharpener's call, joining the string trio. Casarrubios, born in Madrid and now based in New York, is a cellist and composer whose music grows out of the human experience and has been widely performed and recorded.