Three Sketches for Wind Quintet

Three Sketches for Wind Quintet is my first work for this medium. Writing this set of short pieces was a fascinating challenge, in which I sought to explore the possibilities of the ensemble, while keeping in mind the individual expressive qualities of each instrument. The first piece focuses on an expansive melodic idea, presented first by the clarinet. The second piece involves a floating texture in which a few simple harmonies change colors as they are passed between the different instruments. The final piece creates an undulating texture which leads to a transformation of the first movement's theme. My initial inspiration for this work came from two paintings by L. A. Roberts - Valley Landscape and Yosemite Valley - which are on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Trio

Trio is a three-movement chamber piece. During the spring trimester of my junior year of college I studied abroad in Paris, where I lived with a host family. Being able to spend a lot of time with children was one of my favorite aspects of living in France. I am always amazed by the amount of energy that children have. I started writing this piece in the summer of 2006 with the third movement, "Bêtise," (which means "prank" or "foolishness"). I wanted the piece to have a whimsical feel that would reflect both my feelings towards my stay in Paris and the whimsical nature of children. This past summer I wrote the first and second movements, "Cache-Cache" and "Sieste," which mean "hide and seek" and "nap" respectively. The movements are also linked harmonically. The first and last movements are made up of the same scale, while the middle movement uses the five notes that the first scale omits.

Magnificat


And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who hear him, form generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but He sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servants Israel, remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
(Luke 1:46-55)

Image, Mirage (2007)
 

Farewell Before the Unknown

Farewell Before the Unknown was composed for oboist Morgan Zentner, a former classmate at the University of British Columbia. Begun in May 2007, shortly after the end of my studies there, the work is a reflection of feelings experienced upon moving away from a place of residence - nostalgia for good times with friends and sadness at leaving them behind, but also the excitement and trepidation of starting life over in a new environment.

Space for prepared piano

I want to bring the audience into my music and give them space to think and imagine. It's more like an "Open-ended Musical Question". It depends on how the audience develops its concepts. For instance, the traditional Chinese ink painting emphasizes more space. It always uses lines or points and space to express an idea. The perspective of Chinese ink is different from western painting. I love that space, for it is not just empty or simple space but in fact a profound form.

The special materials are used in the piano, such as screw, latex tubing, silicone tubing, plastic foam pad and "durapore" tape.

From the New Environment

I composed From the New Environment after writing another piece called New Environment - for large chamber ensemble. From the New Environment uses some of the material from New Environment and also develops new material in the same vein as the previous work. I wanted to work with the same material because I knew it would take some time to get a reading of the larger piece. Since I never initially write at the piano and then orchestrate my ideas, it was difficult to rethink this composition in terms of the piano. I found that by working with only small motives from New Environment, I could eventually redevelop them into five movements for the piano. The first two movements include material, which is most clearly related to New Environment.

A Disquieted Existence

A Disquieted Existence titles this piece as a story evolves from human existence. Each movement represents a state of being. The story is derived from the book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera. The first and third movements are duets while the second and fourth include the entire trio.

"Awakening" begins simply with the cello and piano separately and takes a few melodic thoughts to arouse to full consciousness. The "confession of reality" happens in the blink of an eye as the tempo dramatically changes. In a mysterious setting, this short movement allows the trio to combine in fragmented figures and surprising dynamic contrasts. "Perplexity of the mind" involves the clarinet and piano playing in discussion of this new reality. Interpolating into a mental state of anxiety, "a restless forever" begins with each instrument entering at a designated time in an expressive manner at an unhurried pace. The piece ascends and plateaus fervently until one final collapse into complete atonality, which can be in itself, a restless forever.

There is Him

There is Him is dedicated to Him, and describes my reflection about Him and the text which is based on Psalm chapter 22 and Revelation chapter 1. There is the one who struggle to his God because people mock the one and hurl insults. However the one always believes that God will come to save him from them. Finally, the glorious God comes.