They Say on WUSF

Tune in to Modern Notebook on WUSF this Sunday night at 8pm EST to hear Dieter Hennings perform my guitar work, They Say. This 3-movement work is part of my recent Albany Records portrait CD release. Thanks to host and composer Tyler Kline for featuring my work! Read more →

James Primosch (1956-2021)

My former teacher and dissertation advisor, James Primosch, has died, age 64. Jim was an honest, warm, caring, compassionate human being, and I will miss him. I learned the music of many wonderful composers through him: Davidovsky, Perle, Martino, and others. We got along splendidly from our first meetings and shared many laughs and a lot of dark humor. (We… Read more →

Sandburg Songs CD Release

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that Sandburg Songs has been released on Albany Records. My portrait CD features the renowned soprano Tony Arnold with Zohn Collective and conductor Tim Weiss in my large-scale song cycle based on Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems, along with four other chamber works that span a decade of creative work. These works are scored for solo… Read more →

Inner Truth in Florida

I’m very happy to hear that Eunmi Ko will be performing Inner Truth at the Swan City Piano Festival in Florida this June. Eunmi has been championing this work, which I wrote as part of a larger series of commissions honoring the centennial birth year of Isang Yun, since she first presented it a couple years back. I’m glad that… Read more →

Music and Language Book Chapter

I was happy to receive a copy of the new book, Crossing Borders, Making Connections: Interdisciplinarity in Linguistics (Allison Burkette and Tamara Warhol, editors), in the mail today. This volume, published by De Gruyter, features a chapter I co-authored with Jiyoon Lee (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), titled “Comprehensive review of the effect of using music in second language learning.”… Read more →

Steven Stucky’s “Patterns of Influence”

I’m very happy to have been awarded a General Research Fund (GRF) Grant from Hong Kong’s Research Grants Council to support research on the orchestral work of my former teacher, the late Steven Stucky.  The GRF Grant is the most significant and competitive grant for Hong Kong academics and will fund my two-year project, “Patterns of Influence: Steven Stucky as… Read more →

immaus in Tampa

My solo violin work, immaus, will be performed by violinist Sini Virtanen during the New Music Festival and Symposium at the University of South Florida in Tampa in March.  I’m especially grateful that my work will be included as part of this excellent event during these complex times for the performing arts.  I’ll be sure to post details on how… Read more →

Mise-en Update

With the uncertainties of the pandemic, it’s not surprising that many performing arts groups are being forced to cancel or reschedule events. With this in mind, I’ve learned that the premiere of my work, Parallel Lives, as part of the mise-en Festival in New York, has been postponed to next season at a date to be determined. I’m looking forward… Read more →

Ditson Fund Award

I’m so pleased to learn that my upcoming portrait CD with Albany Records has received funding from the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University.  I expect the CD to be out later this spring and am so impressed with the level of musicianship of soprano Tony Arnold and the members of Zohn Collective.  The CD will feature my large-scale… Read more →

Mise-en Festival 2020

I’m very pleased to be one of seven composers from around the world selected to compose a new work for New York City-based ensemble mise-en for this year’s Mise-en Festival, to take place June 23-28 in New York.  My planned work is tentatively called Parallel Lives and is inspired by my own experience traveling back-and-forth between Hong Kong and the US (and… Read more →

Musical Reunions in Hong Kong

Over the last two weeks, the stars have aligned, and three old friends descended upon Hong Kong to once again prove how small the music world really is.  To begin, percussionist Sean Connors of Third Coast Percussion was in town giving performances and masterclasses with his fellow quartet members as part of Toolbox Percussion’s International Creative Academy.  While I was… Read more →

Kinetic Attractions in Tampa

I’m very happy that my percussion quartet, Kinetic Attractions, has been selected for performance by McCormick Percussion Group, Robert McCormick, director, during the International New Music Festival at the University of South Florida, in Tampa, this coming April.  This will be my third visit to USF, having most recently enjoyed the premiere of my solo guitar work, They Say, with… Read more →

Chou Wen-chung (1923-2019)

With my recent travels, I was unable to honor the great  Chou Wen-chung in a timely way following his death on October 25.  I would simply like to say that hearing him speak about his life and work when I was a graduate student was one of the more memorable and moving encounters I can recall with a composer.  His music… Read more →

Rands’ Dream Premiere

As I prepare to head back to Hong Kong, I wanted to offer some overall thoughts, a review of sorts, on the premiere of Bernard Rands’ Dream with the Chicago Symphony and Music Director Riccardo Muti. This is a mature work of a composer who has nothing to “prove.” Because of this, there is a restrained quality to certain aspects… Read more →

Rands in Conversation

By now settled in to the Chicago chill, I’ve had a chance to speak with Bernard Rands and for both of us to hear the first rehearsal of his new work, Dream, with the Chicago Symphony and Music Director Riccardo Muti. There are many things I’ve been struck by, having now heard the work, as opposed to what I could… Read more →

Interpreting Bernard Rands’ Dream

This week I’m heading to Chicago to meet with composer Bernard Rands for a series of interviews and to attend rehearsals and performances of his new work, Dream, with the Chicago Symphony and Music Director Riccardo Muti.  What a privilege it has been to spend time getting to know this score in advance of our conversations and actually hearing the… Read more →

Recording in Progress

It has taken me a bit longer than I expected, but I am nearing the end of the editing process of my upcoming CD for Albany Records.  The recording, which took place last summer at Oberlin, is sounding great, but with Tony Arnold, the musicians of Zohn Collective, and intrepid conductor, Tim Weiss, this should come as no surprise.  It looks… Read more →

Inner Truth at USF

I’m very happy to learn that Eunmi Ko will be performing the work I wrote for her, Inner Truth, as part of her faculty recital at the University of South Florida.   Eunmi has recently performed the work at the San Francisco International Piano Festival, the World Piano Conference in Serbia, and the Dot the Line Festival in Seoul.  By now,… Read more →

Resonant Memories in Ann Arbor

I’ve received word from Tiffany Ng that she’ll be performing my carillon work, Resonant Memories, during her faculty recital as part of the 59th Annual University of Michigan Organ Conference on September 30 in Ann Arbor.  The theme of the conference is “Building Bach: His Foundations and Futures.”  My work, which Tiffany premiered in 2018, fits into this program because… Read more →

Inner Truth Video

I’ve received a link to video of pianist Eunmi Ko’s recent performance of Inner Truth at the Dot the Line Festival at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.  What a pleasure it is to remember this excellent interpretation!  I’m so pleased Eunmi will be playing the piece again next month at the San Francisco International Piano Festival. Read more →

Inner Truth in Serbia

I’ve received word from pianist Eunmi Ko that she’ll be performing my work, Inner Truth, at the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia on June 29.  Eunmi recently presented the work in Seoul and will be performing it in August in San Francisco.  I’m very happy to hear my work will be finding its way to Serbia for the… Read more →

On David Del Tredici

Last week’s events with the Albany Symphony and David Alan Miller, including the premiere of my work, Unite in Song, were too big to fit into just one post, so I wanted to say a bit about the distinguished American composer, David Del Tredici, who was was one of the featured composers at this year’s American Music Festival. I first… Read more →

Albany Symphony Premiere

For the last week I’ve had the pleasure of working with musicians of the Albany Symphony and their music director, David Alan Miller, as part of the Orchestrating in the 21st Century Workshop and American Music Festival at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC for short) in Troy, NY.  The sheer number of events has been staggering: orchestral… Read more →

Dot the Line Festival in Seoul

I’ve concluded a brief but meaningful 2-day stay in Seoul.  Having come to know this place quite well over the years, I always look forward to its energy, delicious food, and warm people.  During this visit, I enjoyed a deeply felt performance of my piano work, Inner Truth, by Eunmi Ko, as part of the inaugural Dot the Line Festival… Read more →