As a teenager, I studied violin privately for about a year. Despite my best efforts, I never truly learned to play—couldn’t even manage a simple melody. Yet the raw, untamed sounds of the violin—the fleeting, wild noises it could produce—captivated me. Even now, though I still can’t play a tune, I remain enchanted by its voice: the subtle, mournful cries and the bright, shimmering whispers. String instruments have long been my silent idols, their voices resonating with a deep, almost mystical beauty. Since I began composing, I’ve been drawn again and again to their warmth, vibrancy, and the intensity of their impassioned screams. Over the years, I’ve written many works for strings—each one an attempt to enter, and perhaps never fully master, their enig-matic world. String Works gathers pieces I’ve written for strings across the past decade. Creating them has been my joy, my privilege, and my constant fascination: an unfolding journey into a sound-world as elusive, strange, and beautiful as the strings themselves.