Variations on a Theme of Bartok for Cello and Piano (1977, revised 2010) was written - as has been much of my music involving the cello for the excellent Nevada cellist John Lenz, a long-time friend and colleague. The title is something of a misnomer, as the melody on which the variation set is based is actually a Hungarian folksong Kis Kece Lanyom (my little graceful girl), one of the short pieces set by Bela Bartok in For Children, Vol.I (1908-9). However, because this is the version I have known since childhood, I give Bartok the credit, even though my arrangement is not identical to his. In any case, the style and variation technique used here owe a great deal more to Brahms or Mendelssohn than to Bartók. Masque for Oboe, Cello and Piano (1981) was written for John Lenz and his sister, Andrea. It is meant to suggest (not remotely in terms of style, but in terms of pacing and, perhaps, mood) the sort of music that might have been used to accompany a short ballet/ pantomime in the baroque-rococo French court. Such entertainments, especially in the court of Louis XIV, who was very fond of dance and had no need to economize on it, would have been lavishly staged, but with the dance itself being far less athletic than one sees in modern ballet (most of the content of which had yet to be invented). The form would often include a stately entrance for the courtly participants (nothing too difficult a stylized version of court social dances, or even merely a promenade to show off the elaborate costumes), followed by more demanding dances for the professional dancers (or those who, like the Sun King, were serious and accomplished amateurs), and then a closing pageant (again dedicated more to the creation of the visual tableau than to actual dancing). The three movements which comprise this Masque consist of an Introduction (a dignified Introitus which alternates rondo-fashion with a flowing Minuet), a Pastorale (another favorite court entertainment in which the courtiers played at being shepherds and shepherdesses), and a brisk Finale featuring a second theme in the rhythm of an Estampie. The Apotheosis coda of the Finale contains music inspired by the transfiguration portion of Richard Strauss Death and Transfiguration, mixed with a brief cyclical return of the theme of the opening Introitus. Three Nocturnes for Piano Trio (1986-87) was written for summer performances in and around the Lake Tahoe area. It was premiered by Suzanne Beia on violin, John Lenz on cello, and the composer at the piano, and has since become my most frequently programmed work, having received performances across the United States and even as far away as Taiwan. Each movement is based loosely on a literary theme. James Winn made his professional debut with the Denver Symphony Orchestra at age thirteen, and has been performing widely in North America, Europe and Asia ever since. With his duo-piano partner, Cameron Grant, he was a recipient of the top prize in the two-piano category of the 1980 A.A.R.D. International Competition in Munich. Winn has been a solo pianist with the New York City Ballet, a member of the New York New Music Ensemble and of Hexagon, as well as a frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Speculum, the Group for Contemporary Music and Bargemusic. Known as a specialist in new music, he has been involved in numerous world premieres and premiere recordings by many renowned composers, among them more than a dozen Pulitzer Prize winners. He is the pianist of the Argenta Trio, and also performs regularly in recital with internationally acclaimed New York-based violinist Rolf Schulte. Dr. Winn s own compositions have been performed internationally. In 2009, he received the Governor of the State of Nevada s Award for Excellence in the Arts.