During all my composition lessons in graduate school, one of the few concrete pieces of advice I can recall is being told by composer James Primosch that I should read Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird.  Now, more than ten years later (I wonder if my advice taking might speed up with age?), I’m making my way through the book. … Read more →

The conclusion of The Keyboard in the 21st Century means I finally had some time to finish my new Albany Symphony commission.  Part of this year’s American Music Festival, “Sing Out, New York!”, celebrating the city’s role in civil rights movements, I wanted to create an energetic, optimistic work that pays tribute to the role music has played in helping… Read more →

After months of preparation, thousands of e-mails, and numerous rehearsals, our two-day international composition conference, The Keyboard in the 21st Century, concluded with great success.  It featured all 7 HKBU faculty composers, a dozen guest composers, and 13 musicians in a series of 5 concerts, 2 lectures, and a roundtable discussion.  I was especially pleased with the diversity of styles… Read more →

I’ve received word from pianist Eunmi Ko that she will include my recent solo work, Inner Truth, in her performance as part of the San Francisco International Piano Festival, which runs from August 15-24.  I will update with the precise date, time, and venue details when I have them.  For now, I’m certainly excited to hear about this event and… Read more →

I’m thrilled to have been selected for the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s Orchestrating in the 21st Century workshop and reading session.  As part of this event, I will compose a new work for members of the Albany Symphony and conductor David Alan Miller, to be premiered as part of their First Draughts Reading Session, and participate in workshops and masterclasses with… Read more →

After weeks of what amounts to blood, sweat, and tears—not to mention millions of e-mails—things are beginning to come into focus for our 2-day international composition conference—The Keyboard in the 21st Century—at HKBU.  As the website now shows, the conference will explore the range of styles and breadth of expression that make up contemporary keyboard music, including acoustic, electro-acoustic, and… Read more →

I’m very pleased to share news that my solo piano work, Inner Truth, has been selected for performance at the Dot the Line Festival in Korea this May.  The performance by pianist Eunmi Ko will take place at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, a place I know well from previous visits and musical events.  Inner Truth was composed as part… Read more →

What a pleasure it was to again hear pianist Daniel Pesca perform my work, Inner Truth, in Chicago.  Daniel premiered the work in June at PianoForte Chicago, recorded it in August at Oberlin, and this performance took place as part of his faculty recital at the University of Chicago.  It was clear from the start that the music was now… Read more →

With 2019 just around the corner, I am very much looking forward to the new year. I’m also looking forward to the new semester at HKBU and especially to welcoming the fantastic American composer, George Tsontakis, as our Kennedy Wong Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Music for the spring term. George is the first faculty in the Arts… Read more →

I’m very pleased that pianist Daniel Pesca will be giving a second performance of Inner Truth as part of a faculty recital at the University of Chicago on February 23.  Daniel gave the premiere of the work last June and more recently recorded the work as part of my upcoming Albany Records CD.  He is among the most committed and… Read more →

I’m very happy to announce The Keyboard in the 21st Century, an international conference for composers to be held this April 4-5 at HKBU. Featuring performances by outstanding Hong Kong pianists and guest performers, the conference will showcase the breadth of creative voices working with a range of keyboard instruments. Significantly, we are interested in presenting works for piano, harpsichord,… Read more →

I was very saddened and—perhaps more important—angered and disgusted to see the news of the attack on a synagogue in my hometown of Pittsburgh on October 27. While I did not know those who were taken from us through this terrible act, I know people who knew them, and I know the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill well. It is one… Read more →

Before boarding my flight back to Hong Kong (Is there a bigger contrast than small college town-Ohio and neon-clad Asian supercity?), I have time to report that the Albany Records recording session was an excellent experience, and it was a pleasure to work with some of the best in the business during our intensive week of rehearsals and recordings. I… Read more →

My three weeks at Copland House have passed with the usual flash of residencies around the world.  The opening weeks seem slow—each hour of quiet and solitude sinking in as we slowly remember there was a world before the internet and the constant interruption of e-mail.  Then, little by little, the pace speeds up until—all at once and without warning—there… Read more →

I hesitate to write too much for fear of interrupting the cool focus of my residency here at Copland House. However, I wanted to report progress on revisions of my guitar work, They Say, as well as my recent piano work, Inner Truth. While hindsight may not always be 20/20, there is something to be said for viewing a work… Read more →

Tomorrow I will depart for my three week residency at Copland House, the former home of the acclaimed American composer, Aaron Copland, north of New York City. While in residence, I have a number of projects to pursue. Initially, I plan to make final revisions—some small, others rather significant—to three works that are among those to be recorded next month… Read more →

The busy summer season continues unabated! Following the recent premieres of Inner Truth in Chicago and City Lights in Valencia, Spain, I am pleased to share news of the premiere of my latest work, Resonant Memories, for carillon, by University of Michigan faculty carillonist, Tiffany Ng. Tiffany will premiere the work on July 27 at Middlebury College, with subsequent performances… Read more →

Last night the Mivos Quartet gave the premiere of my new quartet, City Lights here at the VIPA Festival in Valencia, Spain. The performance was excellent, and I am grateful to Mivos for their commitment and musicality. One of the joys of chamber music, especially the string quartet, is the way individual musical personalities come together to form a cohesive… Read more →

In high school I had a choice of learning a minimum of two years of either Spanish or French. Believing French to be more difficult, I opted for Spanish and stuck with it for four years. Little did I know that twenty years later I would find myself in beautiful Valencia, Spain struggling to remember any of what I had… Read more →

Just a quick note of thanks to pianist Daniel Pesca for his fantastic premiere of my new piano work, Inner Truth, last night at PianoForte Chicago. Daniel played with confidence through the work’s intricate passagework and brought a careful attention to detail and color throughout the more introspective opening passages. It was a pleasure to work with him, and I… Read more →

Tonight I am in Chicago for the premiere of my new solo piano work, Inner Truth, by the wonderful pianist, Daniel Pesca, Artist-in-Residence and Director of Chamber Music at the University of Chicago.  Inner Truth came about as part of a larger commissioning project honoring the 2017 centennial birth year of the great Korean composer Isang Yun by the fantastic pianist, Eunmi… Read more →

The term has come to a close; final exams are over; honors projects performed; grades submitted. All this must mean one thing: summer 2018 has begun! My musical season starts with a personal and professional highlight. I will be travelling to New York to receive the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. What an honor… Read more →

It was a pleasure to welcome composer Robert Beaser to HKBU. Beaser is in Hong Kong as the Distinguished Guest Composer of the Intimacy of Creativity, organized by composer Bright Sheng and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I was so glad Bob was able to make the time to speak with our students about his approach to… Read more →

I am writing while en route to Tampa, Florida, where I’m headed to the premiere of my new solo guitar work, They Say, as one of four invited composers for the University of South Florida’s New Music Festival. More than most instruments, I have always felt the guitar is an instrument for storytelling, especially of very old tales. This concept… Read more →

I want to thank Professors Ruth Rosenberg and Marc Mellits for hosting my recent guest composer lecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was a pleasure to meet such inquisitive students at UIC and answer their questions about music, language, politics, and so many other subjects.   Farewell, Chicago, and next stop…Florida! Read more →