May 2021 (for violin, guitar, bassoon, and percussion)
The giant finger-eating hamster is back, but this time as a quartet!
Recorded by International Contemporary Ensemble in May 2021.
Feb. 2021 (for violin and classical guitar)
This piece was inspired by a weird dream I had, which involved getting chased by a 9 feet tall vicious hamster that indulges in eating human fingers - specifically thumbs. The rapid strumming of the guitar illustrates the victim desperately trying to shake off the hamster off of their hand. The melancholy theme introduced by the guitar makes the listener wonder, does the hamster have a sad history? Or has it always been, and will be, a masochistic fluff ball?
Jan. 2021 (for brass quintet)
Inspired by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the brass quintet tells the story of a group of British schoolboys marooned on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves. First, the scar—the plane crash site—and the key players of the novel are introduced. The conch is blown by Ralph to summon the other boys from the plane, but organization is proven to be difficult, as most of them are still too young and unprepared for independence and maturity. Their efforts to build a signal fire to affect a rescue ends up putting a whole forest on fire. A boy gets lost in the midst of the chaos, and the battle against savagery begins.
July 2020 (for piano quintet)
“Avast, Ye!” illustrates a pirate captain and the crew's adventure in search of the ancient tree rumored to hold the sap of salvation, which can heal any type of injuries and wounds. With the energetic opening, the ship sets sail and endures the wild, untamable waves in desperation to claim the magical power of the tree. As the sea calms down and the rain clouds roll away, the sun shines upon the colossal tree branches that bring hope and delight to the pirates. The celebration of their success filled with drinks, music, dancing, and laughter around the fire lasts forever - until of course when they become greedy for more.
Now, imagine yourself as the captain aboard your pirate ship. What treasure are you looking for? What is your adventure?
(Pirate Glossary: “Avast, ye!” means “Pay attention and check this out!”)
Premiered in MCM’s New Composers livestream 2020.
illustrated by Yuri Lee
June 2020 (for two violins)
Everyone knows the importance of practicing 40 hours a day, thanks to Brett and Eddy’s teachings of the Ling Ling ways. However, we must also remember that by playing our instruments, we are fulfilling their essence and dreams.
This violin duet illustrates the story of one lonely violin, waiting and waiting in its case to be played. Will the case ever be opened? Or will it forever remain in its quarantined state? Let us explore the antsy, flustered, dejected mind of the forgotten violin.
Premiered at Celebrating Luna Lab Fellows 2017-2020 livestream.
TwoSet Violin
Oct. 2019 - Feb. 2020 (for brass quintet)
The playoff game on Halloween of 2019 - fighting for the goal to break the tie that had all of us on edge throughout the whole 80 minute game, plus the 20 minute overtime. Recalling August 19th, the beginning of all of the running, the practices in the rain, the kicking of the ball on mud, and the coming together of the team began, we fought for victory, forgetting the fact that we would have already been trick-or-treating by the second 10-minute overtime that we were in. And as the final whistle was blown with the ball at the back of our net, my soccer season ended with literal blood, sweat, and tears. Players and teams like mine, who work hard but only have had four wins (if you count the two by forfeits), sometimes need the push to propel them forward. Countless emotions - pure joy, exhaustion, frustration and surprise - are involved with sports; this is a piece written to remind them of their love and passion for what they do.
Nov. 2019 (for string quartet)
Look Up was inspired by a car ride to NYC for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with my parents. Surrounded by soft music, I was nodding off, until the car jolted over a bump. Ahead, above, and all around us, I saw the beautiful tints of orange, yellow, and pink being painted on the light blue canvas. The sky was glowing with vibrant, breathtaking intensity, and coincidentally, the well-known song “What a Wonderful World” was being played at that moment. I quickly shook my mom awake and asked her to take pictures from the front seat, refusing to forget this stunning scenery. However, I knew that I had to enjoy the moment, for nothing gold can stay. So, don’t forget to look up and take in the beauty of nature around you from time to time; life is too short to miss out on the simple, pure joys that you can experience in this world.
Performed by Mivos Quartet
July 2019 (for two violins, piano & snare drum)
Chess is a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a checkered board. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces that are moved and used to capture opposing pieces according to precise rules, with the object of putting the opponent’s king under a direct attack from which escape is impossible. In this piece, the two violins fight for victory with the piano and snare drum illustrating the tension in the dry air of a battlefield.
Chess is based on a real chess game I played with my friend, and it directly represents the flow of the game. First, the chess game was notated and a motif was written to illustrate the movement of each chess piece. Then came the composition process of putting these two together; motifs are introduced and varied throughout the piece in the order based on the chess game notation. Which violin do you think claimed victory?
June 2019 (for brass quintet)
This brass quintet piece illustrates the busy place with constant interactions between people and food - the pizzeria. The opening imitates a call that I have recorded between me as the customer placing an order and the worker of a pizza place in town. And a few fictional dialogues are included throughout the pieces as well, although of course, the listener will never know when and what words are being said. Pizzeria conveys the preparation of customers’ orders in haste in a small, warm kitchen, based on my fun “research” trip to another pizzeria. Watching the cooks’ swift movements in making pizzas was a great help in writing this programmatic piece of music - and the free garlic knot sample was a bonus!
April 2019 (for woodwind quintet)
Hypocrisy is defined as ‘a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.’ This piece illustrates the hypocritical characteristics of people, ideas, and other subjects using contrasting materials of music. There may be a variety of interpretations of who or what the subject is, and each audience member must let their imagination and creativity loose as they listen to this piece, which acknowledges the deception and dishonesty of the world.
Performed in the Juilliard Composers’ Showcase 2019.
illustrated by Satoko Kitagawa