The composer writes: “These duos were presented as a gift to clarinet master Floyd Williams for the occasion of his retirement. I had met Floyd in Brisbane during my first days of arriving to Australia. His camaraderie and wonderful welcome and hosting to a new staff were much appreciated. We both had arrived to Australia coming from other distant lands, though a few decades apart. The idea of connecting with other clarinetists through a single composition became very tempting. The first movement is dedicated to one of my first clarinet teachers, Oscar Gieco, a very active and progressive performer in Cordoba, Argentina. The second movement is dedicated to American clarinetist Gregory Barrett, a colleague from our days at Indiana University in Bloomington. The last movement is an explicit celebration for Floyd Williams, and it takes the character and gestures of the Brazilian choro, a genre that can equally display instrumental virtuosity and a relaxed atmosphere among people of gentle hearts.”