I worked as Jeremy Denk’s personal page turner for a week. From Tuesday to Saturday, I had the surreal experience of living and breathing the music of the Joshua Bell—Steven Isserlis—Jeremy Denk trio, with Irène Duval and Blythe Teh Engstroem, for their Fauré Project.

“I didn’t name my son Gabriel without a reason,” Steven Isserlis quipped. This incredible week consisted of multiple recording sessions and two concerts at 92NY (my on-stage page-turning debut), featuring only the works of Gabriel Fauré. The musicians’ reverence for the composer and his music was palpable through their passionate playing. 

On Tuesday (7/8), I arrived at the studio* without any serious background in page-turning, and by the end of the day, left with a high compliment—“Amazing page turns!”—from Jeremy Denk himself, prompting Steven Isserlis to remark how rare that praise is. The speed at which I improved my page-turning skills is all thanks to Mr. Denk’s expressive head tilts, short but effective advice, and patience. I learned to adapt, internalizing his rhythm and the shifting tempi across movements.

That day, they were tackling Fauré’s Piano Quintet No. 2—impressively completing the recording of the entire 35-minute work in just one day. Though densely written, their interpretation brought clarity, leaning into contrasting characters and textures that reshaped my understanding of the piece.

While I would normally let myself get lost in the music and allow it to transport me into different worlds, this was the precise thing I braced myself to avoid, permitting only brief moments at the ends of movements that required no page turn for my eyes and ears to wander away from the score. I must admit, this took discipline, considering that my long-time violin idol was only a few feet away from me! Joshua Bell’s ethereal sound pierces through the air, with every note full of intention, care, and musical identity. I am lucky that I got to take it in for multiple days.

Through this listening style—hyper-focused on the piano part—I became proficient at latching onto primary melodic lines in arpeggio-heavy sections, picking up intricate dialogues between the piano and the other instruments, and experiencing how a composer’s score can be translated into stories, characters, and emotions by the performer. These were truly valuable insights for my growth as a composer.

Then, as a performer, this week was a great lesson in what a successful working dynamic looks like. I appreciated how they welcomed disagreement, never shy to call each other out through playful banter and honest feedback, united in a mutual pursuit of excellence and a pure love for music. It’s evident that their professional, world-class level of chamber playing is enriched by their close friendship.

At one point, Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis fell into a geeky discussion about bowings and fingerings that I fully understood and was equally invested in as a violinist. Then Denk turned to me and sarcastically pantomimed a rapidly talking mouth with his hand, paired with a slight eye roll. He is hilarious; every interaction with him was a joy.

Steven Isserlis, also a Comedian:

To Joshua Bell: “I know you don’t speak Italian, but ‘p’ for piano means soft.” 

In response to producer Silas Brown’s, “Are you happy with that take?”: “Happy? I’m Jewish!!”

It was a sweet full-circle moment to close the final concert of this dream-like week on Saturday (7/12) with the Second Piano Quintet, which has now earned a spot on my top 10 list of favorite pieces. At the end of the concert, all the musicians, not just Jeremy Denk, took time to thank me for my assistance, which I was incredibly grateful for.

What an unbelievably inspirational experience. I had the privilege of observing these musical giants up close—their dedication, humor, generosity, and artistic mastery. In the studio, they debated articulation and phrasing with vivid language and expressive playing, unafraid to disagree and always finding beautiful compromises. On stage, they wove in and out of each other’s sounds, rich with color and character.

Watching them make decisions, amidst playful banter and thoughtful discussion, showed me how alive classical music becomes in the hands of people who care this deeply. It is insufficient to describe the piano’s sound production purely in terms of kinetic energy or the mechanics of hammers striking strings. Jeremy Denk’s emotional intent and expressive nuance shape the sound in ways that transcend scientific explanation. Watching Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis’s profound understanding of the repertoire and Irène Duval and Blythe Teh Engstroem’s beautiful connection with their instruments was equally inspiring. I returned home at midnight and, still buzzing with energy, practiced the violin briefly—giddy to discover that my sense of performance had already grown.

🌟 One direct comment from Steven Isserlis particularly stood out to me: “They told me I should learn to smile from you.” (Jeremy Denk and Joshua Bell never misses an opportunity to tease him, I’m sure.) Not only was I touched to hear that I had contributed to a more joyful atmosphere and to learn that one can make a difference, even in the background, it especially struck a chord because I often think about how, in gender studies, warmth and competence are placed on opposite ends of the spectrum for women in professional or leadership roles. Why do I have to choose between being respected or being liked? But here, something as simple as smiling—being open, joyful, and fully present—was interpreted not as a lack of seriousness, but as an asset. That brief moment reminded me that joy and excellence don’t cancel each other out. 🌟

Special thank you’s to Broadway musician and wonderful string teacher Mr. Charles duChateau and David Lai for this opportunity, and the duChateau family for hosting me during this special week. 

*Grammy-Award winning producer Adam Abeshouse built this beautiful dream studio of his in his home in South Salem, NY, before passing away last year. Beautiful music continues to be performed and recorded there in his memory.

Music recs 🎵 — Gems of Gabriel Fauré recorded and performed this week:

• Berceuse
• Élégie
• Piano Trio
• Piano Quintet no. 1
• Piano Quintet no. 2
• Romance
• Sicilienne
• String Quartet in E minor
• Violin Sonata No. 1
• Violin Sonata No. 2

From June 23rd to 27th, I had the pleasure of interning for Luna Composition Lab’s big festival week in NYC! From having been a fellow and the Patrina Foundation Fellowship recipient in 2018 (back in the 8th grade!) to being asked to return as an intern was a great joy and an honor. 

Luna Lab is an incredible, must-experience mentorship program for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13–18. The summer festival week is a special time when months of composing an original work with the help of a personal composition mentor and tuning into Zoom masterclasses all culminate in an unforgettable experience. That week, all the fellows fly into the city to finally meet in person, attend workshops, and hear their compositions brought to life by professional performers—none other than the members of the renowned International Contemporary Ensemble!

As an intern, my duties focused on the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating an incredible festival experience for this year’s Luna Lab fellows. It was a valuable first-hand education in arts administration, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn. And it was a blast reuniting with Luna Lab’s co-founders and phenomenal composers Ellen Reid and Missy Mazzoli, as well as the incredible executive director Alyssa Kayser-Hirsch—all of whom I deeply admire and adore.

Graciously, outside of my official duties, I was invited to sit in on all of the masterclasses alongside this year’s fellows. Memorable guests included.. 

• Charmaine Lee, a vocalist (and a Princeton alum!) “primarily concerned with risk-taking, playfulness, and improvisation.” There is a whole different world inside her mouth. The way she explores the possibilities of the human mouth, microphones, and electronics coming together was exciting and crazy to experience. 
• Nina Shekhar, an Indian-American composer and multimedia artist who emphasized that all art is a reflection of identity. She shared how she consciously works to empower audience members who are typically lower in the concert hall power dynamic—those less familiar with the unwritten rules and etiquette of classical music spaces—by embedding “Easter eggs” in her compositions, subtle references that may only be recognized by members of the Indian community.
• Angélica Negrón, a Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist who not only writes for musicians in orchestral, choral, and film settings, but also robots, toys, and plants. Yes, plants. 
• Mari Esabel Valverde, Mexican-American composer, singer, and educator whose compassionate character I enjoyed getting to chat with.

If you are an aspiring young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13–18, APPLY TO LUNA COMPOSITION LAB!! It is one of the most special music programs I have ever experienced, and the program’s care and constant efforts to stay connected with the alumni and continue to support us makes my music journey more empowering and meaningful. So, what are you waiting for? 

In the spring, I had the pleasure of taking a class taught by Steve Mackey where I got the opportunity to get to know the guest professor, Adam Gidwitz, who is an author of children’s book and the creator of the #1 podcast for kids, Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest. Shortly after taking the class, I was deeply grateful to be commissioned by Adam to write music (and play violin, too!) for one of his episodes in his upcoming season (just released, in June 2025!). 

SEASON 5, EP. 7: DARLING ROLAND

This podcast is unique in that Adam records himself telling the story to a group of children and weaves their live reactions throughout the episode. Not only is it a presentation of a Grimm fairytale, but also an interactive experience, one that successfully makes online listeners feel as though they are in the room, enjoying storytime together. Consideration of the intended audience also informed my compositional choices, leading me to favor simpler melodic and rhythmic materials that young children can easily understand and relate to.

Working with Adam and his producer, Kailynn West, I learned a great deal about the process of taking someone else’s creative vision and offering various sonic interpretations that do it justice. As requested, I composed two loopable melodies—one for the girl [7:48] and one for the shepherd [30:04]—which also work in harmony when layered together as a duet [38:15]. This was a particularly fun process, and, writing the fiddle music [22:17] and recording myself performing it was a huge honor! 

Over Spring break, the Princeton University Glee Club went on the biennial international tour: to Spain and Portugal! I had an incredible time in the two countries I had never been before. 

• SEVILLE, SPAIN (3/9 - 3/11/25)
  It was a joy to experience live flamenco for the first time. The combination of the powerful grit of the vocalist, the the passionate strumming of the guitar, and the impressive footwork of the dancers blew me away! The architecture was notable as well. We toured the Alcázar de Sevilla, a stunning 13th- and 14th-century palace that blends elements of Islamic, Jewish, and Catholic culture that even inspired the Game of Thrones creators to film there. Not only did we get to walk around and take in the Renaissance paintings of the massive Catedral de Sevilla, but we also got to perform inside it! I never thought that I would find myself singing in a 90-person choir inside the world’s largest gothic cathedral. [Check out how we sounded!] Taking a Renaissance music class at school and then feeling as though I get to briefly live inside that world has been a wonderful experience.
• VILAMOURA AND FARO, PORTUGAL (3/12 - 3/13/25)
  The beach in Quarteira, near the hotel where we stayed, was stunning—picturesque, with vast clouds looming overhead and strong winds brushing through our hair, as if whispering, who are you who are you who are you. I find that looking out into the ocean makes the perfect place for self-reflection, on what are dreams are and where we are on the journey of achieving them. We had a concert here as well, in Igreja de Sao Pedro—I could not have put it better than one of my friends, an art history major with a particularly sensitive eye for detail, who observed: “Igreja de Sao Pedro was a small barrel-vaulted church with a wood-formed ceiling and white plaster interior walls. Built in an eclectic manner, just about every nave and side chapel was constructed in a different architectural vernacular—rococo to the choir’s left, gilded baroque at the center, and Palladian at the right. In the choir gallery behind, a steel lattice held up a wooden balcony. The intimate space would be perfect for the choir’s second performance of the tour.”  (from the Glee Club tour blog) It was wonderful to see the church filled with curious and supportive locals, and a true pleasure to sing for them.
• LISBON, PORTUGAL (3/14 - 3/16/25)
  Pastel de Nata, the famous Portugese egg tart, is absolutely to die for. And, I was in awe once more as we arrived at Sé de Lisboa for our final concert, a breathtaking cathedral, especially when bathed in the golden light of the sunset. It was a treat to get to celebrate our last evening on tour with a group of fado musicians, who serenaded us with the traditional Portuguese music that is rich in melancholy and longing. Even without understanding the lyrics, we were all deeply moved by the emotional landscape painted by the mournful melodies and passionate guitar strums. 

I was invited to play in a masterclass with Violinist, Juilliard professor, and composer Curtis Stewart ! 

Rather than detailed dissection of the piece (ex. “In measure 7, this bowing… what if we did this instead to bring out this phrasing?”), Mr. Stewart’s approach was more imaginative and of the mindset of a composer—which is perfect for me because I am the same in both regards! He helped me bring more color to my performance of Barber Violin Concerto mvt. 1. 

I appreciated learning his perspective and process when interpreting a piece. He asked questions like “What is the one moment you want the audience to take away?” and “Which part of the piece do you think the composer wrote first? That can help inform the big picture, the arc, the identity of the composition.” Just from considering the first question and playing the opening of the piece a few times, there was noticeable difference in my playing—which notes I emphasized, took my time with, and changed the tone on. 

Mr. Stewart also observed that the Barber first movement is pretty much a G major scale with ornamentation, so we know which notes to bring out (those of the scale) and which notes to treat like an improvisatory noodle. Speaking of improvisation, he treated a section of a Beethoven piece another violinist played as an improvisation as well, which helped the player bring contrast to a line that repeats a few times with small variation each time.

I was very grateful to have been selected to participate in this masterclass! 

YoungArts Week 2025 starts today! This years’ Winners with Distinction all fly down to Miami for an extraordinary week of collaboration and performances. I cannot believe that it has already been two years since I participated in 2023.  [YoungArts 2023 blog]

I got a call last November from the YoungArts classical music panel and excitedly accepted their commission to write the 2025 finale, which is an annual tradition where every classical music winner come together to play a final piece at the end of their concert. I am grateful for this opportunity! Check out the livestream (or see it live??) on January 9th to hear the wonderful musicians as well as my Beyoncé Medley, a mashup of Crazy in Love x Single Ladies x Freedom x Love on Top!! 

March 2025 Update: 

The videos are now on YouTube! 

Sophomore year is starting strong! There is a big collegiate a cappella scene on Princeton campus, and after a competitive audition cycle, I got into The Footnotes!  

Although I have only been a member for a semester, it has been a wildly joyful and rewarding ride. 

• “arch sings”: the tradition of singing under the beautiful Blair Arch for fellow students and wanderers on every other Thursday evening.
• domestic tour: We spent our fall break in the DMV area, singing for various nursing homes and school and touring Washington DC. 
• family: While there was a looming pressure of finding “my people” in Freshman year, this semester, joining the Footnotes gave me an incredible sense of belonging and family that I know I will cherish for a lifetime. 
• At the end of the semester, we held elections to decide the next leadership board. I am excited to serve as the  Assistant Music Director for the next calendar year!

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The Princeton University Glee Club welcomed America’s Got Talent’s sensation, the Ndlovu Youth Choir, in October for a joint concert! We were completely in awe by the South African singers’ piercing, powerful voices. And how fun is this ending a concert like this!: https://youtu.be/k5S48tlBQvk?t=524 

The Glee Club also celebrated its 150th birthday this year! It was a 3-day event with about 280 alumni joining us. On one night, we sang with the beloved King’s Singers. It was an honor getting to sing with and hear such ethereal voices. 

The Princeton University Orchestra had 2 exciting concerts this semester as well! Getting to play the 2nd chair violin solos in the second movement of Mahler’s 4th Symphony was thrilling and rewarding!

This was a musical and joyous semester, and I am excited for more to come. Happy New Year!

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On Nov. 10, 2024 at Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing, world-class violinist Maxim Vengerov held a master class on Mozart’s violin concertos no. 3 and 5. I was invited to play in the accompanying orchestra! With five hours of rehearsal and three hours of the master class performance, the two days of being back in NYC and hearing Vengerov’s voice and violin in person were incredible. 

Interestingly, it was basically a conducting lesson as Vengerov emphasized the importance of body language as a soloist and the imagining of the orchestra on your back, constantly being aware of the players behind you and leading them through your music making. 

Carnegie’s website

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