Les Gigues is my first completed work for solo cello. I wrote it during my fellowship in Memphis, TN, which started right after I finished my bachelor's degree. I knew I had room to grow as a cellist and as a composer, and this repertoire was my first time experimenting with writing learning goals into my own music. On the composition end, I studied the counterpoint in Minuet I & II from Bach's first cello suite and took inspiration from them for contrast and structure. For cello, I wanted to improve my bow control with frequent switching between articulation lengths, string crossings with different bow strokes, and awkward double stops that required precise tuning and timing to articulate.