Platinum Spirals was commissioned in 1976 by the American National Endowment for the Arts and dedicated to the composer?s father who was a geologist and mining engineer. It explores the malleability and flexibility of the metal stretching the melodic lines into spirals. Scored for solo Violin. Joan Tower (b. 1938) is a contemporary American composer pianist and conductor. She has become renowned for her bold and spirited compositions. The New Yorker has described her as ?one of the most successful woman composers of all time? and she is still in demand for commissions today.