solo violin; duration: ca. 3′

Among the Pines was written for Sakura Tsai, as a part of the Idyllwild Arts Summer Composition Workshop in August 2020. Many thanks to Sean Friar, Sakura, and everyone at Idyllwild Arts.

Unable to physically be in Idyllwild this summer, I felt myself missing the beautiful landscape of the San Jacinto Mountains. The stark contrast between white rock and green pines is represented in this piece by the contrast between slow melodies and gestural arpeggios. As the piece continues, these two textures begin to influence one another, and juxtaposition gives way to union.

solo cello; duration: ca. 4’45”

This piece for solo cello, written for the Sunset Chamberfest Young Composers’ Workshop, was inspired by J.M.W. Turner’s painting “Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway.” Through the four sections of the piece, each based on the same thematic material, the music becomes faster, clearer, and more energetic. The piece was premiered virtually on June 18, 2020, performed by Stella Cho at the Glendale City Church and live-streamed on YouTube.

solo flute; duration: ca. 3’15”

When I started working on Musings, I decided that I wanted to write a piece that would only make sense for solo flute. The piece begins with an opening gesture built up of three motifs, each of which is designed to play to a strength of the instrument: its agility, its melodic beauty, and a technique called “harmonics.” As these three ideas telescope into the three sections of the piece, the motifs continue to intertwine and merge with one another.

The piece was written for Elise Shope Henry as part of the LA Phil Nancy and Barry Sanders Composer Fellowship Program, and was virtually premiered on June 29, 2020.