All music is available upon request and some works are available as PDFs for perusal.

Chamber Music:

Three Pieces for Carillon (2006-7) 8'

Three Pieces for Carillon was written for Richard Giszczak, a carilloner and chemistry professor at the University of Michigan. It is in three movements, I. Kulintang, II. Hymn to Claude Vivier and III. Resonating Bodies. The first movement evokes the Filipino kulintang gongs (see my other kulintang pieces)--the carillon is like a kulintang which has a set of freely ringing gongs, except they are bells instead. I created a scale and used repeating melodic cells like in kulintang music. The second movement is dedicated to the late Canadian composer Claude Vivier. It uses Vivier-esque melodic devices. The last movement is meant to create a wash of color--by using the resonances of the bells in conjunction with fast rhythms and tight intervals, I was able to make a stream of continuously modulating, whirling sound. Download a score excerpt here.

A Play of Intentions for solo harp (2003) 4'

A Play of Intentions is a short fantasy for harp which plays with the idea of recurring expectations. It was written for Julie Barnes, who premiered it in October of 2003 at Rochester Contemporary in Rochester, NY.

Three Sketches for solo piano (2003) 4'30"

The Three Sketches develop two basic pianistic gestures, the chord and the arpeggiation. The first sketch takes the phrase and fixed-pitch stucture of Philippine kulintang music and superimposes it onto a chromatically shifting chordal accompaniment. The overtone series figures prominantly in the last two sketches as a harmonic device. The Three Sketches were premiered by Ming-Hsiu Yen at the University of Michigan in October of 2003. Download the score here...

Three Sketches (premiere performance)
I. Del Kulintang
II. Toccata
III. Hommage à Rameau

restrictions apply, see details for violin and clarinet (2007) 1'30"

restrictions apply, see details was written for the New York Miniaturist Ensemble. It uses scordatura harmonics on the violin part so that all microtonal notes are precise and consistent. The clarinet has some microtonal multiphonics as well. It was premiered at the Stone in NYC on October 12, 2007 by Erik Carlson (vn) and Joshua Rubin (cl). Download the score here.

Kulintang Suite for violin, piano and piano assistant (2005-6) 18'

The Kulintang Suite, arranged for violin and piano are a set of pieces which take kulintang melodies (a Filipino folk genre played on gongs and a drum) as points of departure. The first movement is founded upon the characteristic phrase structure of kulintang music (sequences of melodic cells that rise and fall). The second movement reflects the virtuoso ethic of kulintang music and pushes the technique of the violinist to the extreme. The third and fourth movements treat preexisting melodies as lyrical statements. The fourth movement, Tagunggo, emulates the ritualistic character of this genre through its persistent repetition and gong-like muted piano texture. The fifth movement takes a Sinulog melody and gradually morphs it from a harmonic foundation in the bass, to a sped-up, mid-range homophonic melody. The final movement maps a Duyug melody onto the violin's natural harmonics and creates a brilliant type of figure which the piano plays along with. The Kulintang Suite was premiered by violinist Yuki Numata and pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen along with myself as the assistant at Ms.Numata's Master's Degree Recital at the University of Michigan in March of 2006. The Kulintang Suite was commissioned by Yuki Numata specifically for her recital. Download the score here...

Kulintang Suite (premiere performance)
I. Prelude
II. Kapagonor
III. Sinulog a binalig
IV. Tagunggo (healing ritual)
V. Sinulog
VI. Duyug a binalig

Six Sketches for violin and piano, arr. (2003) 10'

The Six Sketches, arranged for violin and piano are a set of contrasting, short movements which explore the dynamic between violin and piano. Each movement has different modus operandi: the first gradually shifts rhythmically and registrally, the second is a dramatic narrative, the third shifts coloristically and rhythmically, the fourth is another dramatic piece, the fifth shifts metrically and the last movement has an gradually changing ostinato-like rhythm which is occasionally interrupted an arpeggiated gesture. The Six Sketches were premiered by violinist Yuki Numata and pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen at the Midwest Composers’ Symposium at the University of Michigan in October of 2004. Download the score here...

Six Sketches is now available in mp3 format at most online music retailers!

Six Sketches
I.
II. Quasi recitativo
III.
IV. Quasi notturno (excerpt)
V.
VI. Non rubato (excerpt)

Rondeaux for viola da gamba and harpsichord (2002) 11’

Metamorphosis for solo violin and piano, arr. (2001) 19’

Metamorphosis (premiere performance by Yuki Numata and Ming-Hsiu Yen, 2006)

Interference for violin and piano (1997-2000) 10’

Interference is a two-movement violin and piano duo with contrasting rhythmic and lyrical sections. It was premiered by violinist Amy Watson and pianist Marja Mutru at San José State University in May of 1999.

Interference (premiere performance)
I. Prelude
II. Interference (excerpt)

Images for cello and piano (1997) 10’

Images is a dramatic two-movement piece for ‘cello and piano with contrasting sections. It was premiered by ‘cellist Rebekah Ahrendt and pianist Jamie Del Priore at San José State University in April of 1997.

Dirge (for the victims of veiled tyranny) for violin, piano and kulintang (or 8 similarly tuned nipple gongs) (2006-7) 7'

Dirge (for the victims of veiled tyranny) was written for violinist Yuki Numata, pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen and myself on the kulintang gongs. This piece is dedicated to all of the victims of veiled tyranny. Behind the veil of religious dogma, patriotism, and altruism many powerful political leaders have instigated wars, caused unnecessary suffering and intolerant attitudes to spread amongst people who can only see the veil, and not the face behind it.

This piece is written with three instrumental layers with three characteristics: the violin is a kind of protagonist, the piano represents the unchanging stubbornness of tradition, and the kulintang (indigenous Filipino instrument/repertoire) represents progress. The relationship between these layers creates a tension which gives rise to explosions, interruptions and convergences. Symbolic of resistance to oppression, the kulintang represents a music which has endured Muslim, Spanish/Catholic, American, and Japanese occupation and influence all the while retaining its essential core and continuing to stay alive. The purpose of the music, beyond symbolism, is to convey a sense of ambiguity with regard to narrative—that is the whole point because I do not intend to dictate. There are clearly no winners in this game, but each has their strong moments and weak moments. Eventually the piece concludes with a stubborn piano and detuned violin, but is this really the end—or just a good place to stop? Download a score excerpt here.

Dirge (Yuki Numata, vn; Ming-Hsiu Yen, pf; Jeff Myers, kulintang - Symphony Space, March 5, 2007)

Elegy for violin, piano, and percussion (2000) 6’

Elegy was not written as a reaction to any specific event, but is pervaded nevertheless by an air of somberness and ritual. It was written while in residence at the CSU Summer Arts Festival in Fresno, CA where it was premiered by violinist Hebe De Champeaux, pianist Jennifer Maybee and percussionist Matthew McClimon in July of 2000. Download the score here...

Elegy (Michael Jorgensen, vn; Winnee Cheung, pf; Sean Connors, perc. - Eastman School of Music, October of 2001)

...my name is L.W... for treble voice, percussion, violin and viola (2007)

...my name is L.W.... is a theatrically conceived narrative which juxtaposes short proverbs with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s notes on philosophical problems, which were published in On Certainty and Culture and Value. The basic problem “how can we know anything?” is the subject of Wittgenstein’s notebook entries in On Certainty. In my piece, his skeptical, yet very human, stance on the philosophy of knowledge (epistemology) is put into relief by unflinching Biblical proverbs. The tension between dogmatic, absolute truth and logically deduced fact is palpable. My title was taken from On Certainty, where Wittgenstein considers whether he can really know his own name. Is it possible to be skeptical, logical and scientific while maintaining religious beliefs? Are these two modes incongruent? The real answer may not lie in language, but in practice. Download the score here.

dopamine a string quartet (2007) 12-13"

Dopamine was written for the JACK Quartet. It uses scordatura harmonics on the all the instruments to obtain precise microtonal notes and chords. The title refers to a hormone and neurotransmitter which occurs in humans and some mammals. Dopamine is typically associated with the pleasure system; people with higher dopamine levels tend to seek out more pleasurable activities and vice versa. Dopamine is also associated with creativity and the generation of new ideas. I used dopamine as a metaphor for this string quartet because it was written within a short span of a few days in an unprecedented creative fervor. My motivation came from both the creative experience and from the music itself, which gave me great pleasure to listen to. Perhaps my own level of dopamine was very high as I wrote this music. I suppose I will never know. The premiere is currently TBA. Here is a sample of the score to download.

Tidtu for saxophone quartet (2004-5) 8'