Out of Wonderland

June-July 2024 (for piano quintet)

Some Christmases ago, I asked Santa for Toothless the Dragon (from DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon”). Unfortuantely, my serious request went unanswered. As years passed, my disappointment became indifference—amusement at myself, even.

The concept of growing up mostly elicits a positive connotation; a google search defines it as to “advance to maturity; develop into an adult,” which suggests the glory of competence and autonomy. However, I recently learned the importance of maintaining our child-like-selves. As children, we indulge ourselves in fantastical worlds and pour time and heart into our limitless creativity. While we come to cement a clearer distinction between real existence and made-up wonder as we grow older, we must not let our understanding of reality become our belief of what is possible. Because the voices of our childhood may open doors we did not know existed.

Growing up does not mean that we must step out of our wonderland.

Written for the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival: recorded by Jusun Kim, Hannah Chaewon-Kim, Misha Amory, Nagyeom Jang, and Gloria Chien, with Grammy-Award-winning producer Alan Bise on Aug. 21, 2024.

Painting by Satoko Kitagawa