Nachoff’s free-ranging creativity has long led him to explore the outer reaches of contemporary music. The groundbreaking ‘Stars and Constellations: Scorpio’ followed this angle naturally by taking the exploration of the physical outer reaches of interstellar space as its inspiration. The piece was commissioned by the Penderecki String Quartet, who provided the perfect creative partnership: in the thirty years since their formation in Katowice, Poland, they have established a reputation as one of the most celebrated modernist chamber ensembles of their generation. With his creative foils Mark Helias and Dan Weiss on bass and drums respectively, Nachoff blends the freedom of the jazz trio with the intricate precision of contemporary classical quartet writing. The success of the commission’s 2015 premiere has inspired Nachoff to venture even further on his exploratory voyage: premiering in 2021, he will be writing a complementary piece in the series ‘Stars and Constellations’ along with a piece for double string quartet (with the addition of the Molinari String Quartet) and Trio.