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CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR CELLO

The cello has become one of the most expressive voices in contemporary classical music, with composers expanding its sonic world through new colors, extended techniques, and lyrical intensity. My works for cello reflect this evolution, exploring the instrument’s warmth, resonance, and dramatic range. The sections below present my contributions to the modern cello repertoire across solo, chamber, vocal, and stage settings.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR CELLO

Contemporary Music for Cello

The cello has always felt to me like an instrument that speaks closest to the human voice — warm, resonant, and capable of both deep introspection and sweeping lyricism. My contemporary cello music grows from that expressive breadth, whether the instrument stands alone, partners in a duo, or anchors a larger ensemble. For performers seeking new cello repertoire, modern chamber music, or contemporary stage and ensemble works featuring the cello, these pieces offer a wide palette of depth, color, and expressive possibility.

Unaccompanied Cello Music

 

Fantasy

5' | solo cello​


Cello Chamber Music


Duos with Cello

 

Fluctuations

10' | cello and piano ​


Trios with Cello

 

Arabesque

9' 30" | alto recorder, baroque cello and harpsichord​

 

Like a Whirling Sand Clock

10' 30" | clarinet, cello and piano​

Solo Cello
Chamber Music

 

Piano Trio

22' | violin, cello and piano​


Quartets with Cello

 

Voices from India
string quartet no. 1

17' | string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello)​

 

Hope Cycles

string quartet no. 2

24' | string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello)​

 

Whispered Questions

string quartet no. 3

17' | string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello)​

 

Soliloquy 

string quartet no. 4

17' | string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello)​

 

Little Suite

12' | clarinet, violin, viola and cello​


Quintets with Cello

 

Nameless Journey
for narrator and piano quartet
13'30" | narrator, violin, viola, cello and piano

 

Piano Quintet

18' | piano, violins (2), viola and cello​

 

Tourelles

12' | four celli and piano​

 

V5 – Quintet for Vibraphone and String Quartet

for vibraphone and string quartet

17' | vibraphone, violins (2), viola and cello​​


Ensembles with Cello

 

Quicksand

for Pierrot Ensemble

11' | bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano​​

 

Sextet

for Pierrot ensemble

22' | flute / piccolo/ bass flute, clarinet / bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano​​

 

Elegy for the Future

for Pierrot ensemble

13' | piccolo / alto flute; clarinet; violin; cello; percussion; piano​

 

Three Episodes for Chamber Ensemble

for chamber ensemble

12' | flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, percussion (1), piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass​


Vocal Music with Cello

Vocal Music

 

Found in a Train Station

for soprano and ensemble

11' 30" | soprano, mandolin, clarinet, violin, cello and piano​

 

Spring Calls

for soprano and ensemble

10' 30" |  leggero soprano, flute, viola, cello and harp​


Stage Music with Violin

Stage Music


Beauty and the Beast

for narrator and ensemble

31' | actress, violins (2), viola, cello double bass and piano​

 

The Little Mermaid

for actress and chamber ensemble / chamber orchestra

36' | actress, flute/piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string quintet

OR

actress, flute/piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string section​

Sheet Music for Cello:

About Contemporary Cello Repertoire

The cello repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries includes a wide range of solo works, sonatas, chamber pieces, and concert works that have shaped the instrument’s modern identity. The list below highlights influential pieces that are frequently performed, studied, and recorded. This curated selection is offered as a resource for performers and teachers exploring contemporary classical cello music, alongside my own contributions to the repertoire.

Key 20th–21st Century Cello Repertoire

Solo Cello (Unaccompanied)

  • Luciano Berio – Sequenza XIV (2002)

  • Elliott Carter – Figment (1994)

  • György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo Cello (1948–1953)

  • Paul Hindemith – Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 25 No. 3 (1922–1923)

  • John Cage – One8 (1991) – Written for solo cello with curved bow; One4 is for percussion.

  • Aram Khachaturian – Sonata-Fantasia (1974) – Verified as a solo cello work.

  • Krzysztof Penderecki – Capriccio per Siegfried Palm (1968)

  • Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello, Op. 72 (1964)

  • George Crumb – Sonata for Solo Cello (1955) – Often miscategorized as a chamber work; verified as unaccompanied.

  • William Walton – Passacaglia for Solo Cello (1979–1980) – Composed for Mstislav Rostropovich.

  • Brian Ferneyhough – Time and Motion Study II (1973–1976) or In Nomine a 3 (2001)

  • Helmut Lachenmann – Pression (1969) – For solo cello.

  • Kaija Saariaho – Spins and Spells (1997) – For solo cello. 

Cello and Piano

  • Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Sonata, Op. 40 (1934)

  • Sergei Prokofiev – Cello Sonata, Op. 119 (1949)

  • Claude Debussy – Cello Sonata (1915)

  • Francis Poulenc – Cello Sonata (1948)

  • Samuel Barber – Cello Sonata, Op. 6 (1932)

  • Ernest Bloch – From Jewish Life (1924)

  • Frank Bridge – Cello Sonata (1913–1917)

  • Toru Takemitsu – Orion (1984) – Takemitsu’s only work for cello and piano. 

Cello Chamber and Multimedia Works

  • Anton Webern – Three Little Pieces, Op. 11 (1914) – For cello and piano.

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen – Tierkreis (1974–1975) – Variable instrumentation.

  • Steve Reich – Cello Counterpoint (2003) – For eight cellos or solo cello and tape.

  • Tristan Murail – Attracteurs étranges (1992) – For solo cello.

  • Kaija Saariaho – Petals (1988) – For cello and electronics.

  • Harrison Birtwistle – Pulse Shadows (1989–1996) – For soprano, string quartet, and ensemble.

  • Tania León – Axon (2002) – For cello and electronics.

Cello Concertos

  • Paul Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940)

  • William Walton – Cello Concerto (1956)

  • Alfred Schnittke – Cello Concerto No. 1 (1985–1986)

  • Krzysztof Penderecki – Cello Concerto No. 2 (1982)

  • Bohuslav Martinů – Cello Concerto No. 1 (1930; revised 1939, 1955)

  • James MacMillan – Cello Concerto No. 1 (1996) – Dedicated to Rostropovich.

  • György Ligeti – Cello Concerto (1966)

  • John Adams – Scheherazade.2 (2014) or Cello Concerto (2018–2019)

  • Kaija Saariaho – Notes on Light (2006)

  • Béla Bartók – Viola Concerto (1945) – Often adapted for cello (posthumous completion). 

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