List of compositions
Kinderpieces, op. 1, for solo piano
i. christmastime
ii. in awe
iii. (intermezzo)
iv. valse oblique
A set of children's pieces that burgeoned out of a piano pedagogy class assignment.
Composed November 2016 – April 2017
Premiered June 2017, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Two Études, op. 2, for solo piano
i. Lament, for the right hand alone
ii. Mirror Image
Two etudes. The first etude is an unaccompanied melody in the right hand, challenging the pianist's conception of sound, projection, pedalling, and power of communication with austerity of material.
The second, is a bravura etude where the pianist plays with both hands in unison (most of the time), in inverse, reflected on middle D.
Inner States of Mind, op. 3, for solo piano
i. What If?
ii. Rainbows
iii. Étude: Mirror Image [adapted from op 2]
iv. Benediction
v. Vantage Point
My own spiritual and emotional journeys since moving to the Midwest. Each short piece is part of my own narrative, as I look within and ask myself questions, and as I look up for divine guidance.
Movement III is adapted from op. 2, with some changes.
Composed October 2018 – January 2019
First Revision March 2018
Second Revision July 2018
Premiered July 2018, Manchester, VT, U.S.A.
A Slice of Pi, op. 4a, for solo piano
A Slice of Pi, op. 4b, for 2 flutes, clarinet, and piano
An 80-second experiment in using aspects of serialism, using the irrational number, pi=3.141592653...
The chamber version was adapted from the solo piano version.
Composed December 2017 (op. 4a) and March 2018 (op. 4b)
Premiered April 2018, Chicago, IL, U.S.A. (op. 4b)
Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 5
i. Andante patetico – Maestoso e largamente. "Reminiscence."
ii. Doloroso. "Regrets."
iii. Marcato – Andante affettuoso. "Renewal"
My first venture into a bigger, more mature form. This work is autobiographical in nature; as I wrote the first movement, I realised that I was writing about my own "encrypted memories": years of pent-up emotions, of the good and the bad, and everything in between.
In the second movement, I was similarly asking myself questions, what if things happened differently? Here, through my deepest anguish and doubts, hope is still found.
The finale, "Renewal", represents a metamorphosis, an undefeatable spirit that emerges from the depths of the valleys.
Composed June 2018 – July 2019
Premiered October 2018, Chicago, IL, U.S.A. (mvts I, II)
Full Premiere, March 2020, Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A.
Elegy – in memory of Rosalie, op. 6,
for flute and cello
Commissioned by flutist Emily Kaplan, Elegy was written in memory of Rosalie Avila, a 13-year-old girl who took her own life due to bullying at school. The bigger question this piece aims to address, is the perception of beauty in society today.
Premiered by flutist Emily Kaplan, and cellist Jessica Burroughs.
Composed September – November 2018
Premiered February 2019, Banff, Canada
Three Songs, for mezzo-soprano and piano, op. 7
i. Loss
ii. If Love of Mine
iii. Invictus
Following a massive search for poems to use, I chanced upon two poems written by Winifred Mary Letts (1882–1872) during the First World War. These two poems, Loss and If Love of Mine, are beautifully haunting, as they reflected the human condition following the brutality of the war.
The last song on this set, Invictus, is set to William Ernest Henley's (1849–1903) powerful poem of struggle. It showed his fortitude in adversity; Henley wrote this poem while in the hospital fighting tuberculosis of the bones.
Together, these tree songs reflect the full spectrum of the human condition: the sense of loss, the sense of longing, and perhaps the most important of all – hope.
This set of songs are dedicated to Abigail Grosch, who premiered them with me.
Composed March – April 2019
Premiered April 2018, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Piano Sonata, op. 8
i. Ballade. Adagio drammatico – Andante cantando.
ii. Toccata-Fantasy. Energico – Amoroso.
My Piano Sonata is a work borne out of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I was serving my self-quarantine, I looked through old sketches to see if I could make anything work. After finding an 8-measure sketch of a toccata, I began work. The first complete draft of the sonata was completed after about a month of hard work.
The opening Ballade paints a dark and brooding picture of uncertain times an artist faces in this pandemic, while the ensuing Toccata-Fantasy portrays an epic adventure: from the ashes we rise.
Composed March – June 2020
Premiere TBC
Sonatina for 25-Key MIDI Controller, op. 9
"The Enchanted Forest"
i. Through Lands of Mushrooms and Marshmallows
ii. Afternoon Nap by the Pixie Lake
iii. Hot Pursuit!
A day before the 2020 Circuit Breaker in Singapore to curb the spread of COVID-19, I ventured out to buy myself a MIDI controller, that I may compose and input with greater ease on my computer.
I had too much fun and decided to challenge myself by writing a full-fledged piece for my 2-octave MIDI Controller. With no transpositions allowed, it was certainly a challenge writing a coherent piece with only a range of 2 octaves (C3 to C5). This recording was performed by me on the Arturia Microlab, with Analog Lab: Dark Ballad.
Composed April 2020
Premiere TBD