June - Dec. 2025 (for four voices (SATB), piano, violoncello, and electronics)

Commissioned by Luna Composition Lab and River & Rail Theatre, to be world-premiered by River & Rail Theatre in March 2026.

Based on the Japanese folktale Tsuru no ongaeshi (つるの恩返し), I translated and adapted the story into a 15-minute theatre work. [Read below for a brief summary.] While engaging with this classic “don’t look” trope, I wanted to offer a more hopeful perspective. Society is already familiar with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice—and, Hadestown is a masterpiece—so how could I offer a personal twist? I chose to reimagine the ending so that Tsuru’s departure is not a loss, but an invitation for Wakamono to finally look up and truly be alive—something he had not been able to do his entire life.

The folktale: A lonely man rescues a crane trapped in the snowy mountains. Soon after, a mysterious woman appears at his door, becomes his wife, and weaves extraordinary fabric that brings them sudden wealth—on the condition that he never watch her work. When he breaks this promise and discovers she is the crane he once saved, she must leave him forever, having repaid his kindness at great personal cost.

Painting by Satoko Kitagawa

Recording coming soon!

March - April 2024 (for 4 actors, violin, ukulele, tenor recorder, trombone, and piano)

Dave Malloy and Annie Tippe, award-winning composer and director respectively, taught a class at Princeton on musical writing and adapting! We were divided into groups and each assigned a role (director, book writer, lyricist, composer) to adapt fairy tales into a half-hour musical. My group took the Russian tale “The Death of Koschei the Deathless” and turned it into a Western comedy love story. We implemented strategies that we learned in class, including developing characters with songs and prioritizing the dramatic argument of the musical. My group’s work, Deathless the Musical, explores trust and the question of how we make amends through the story of Ivan discovering an immense secret about his fiancé, former outlaw Marya, and going on a quest of rescuing her when she gets kidnapped while learning to regain the trust and bond of their relationship.

🎵 Yaga Saga (a song from the musical), featuring beautiful lyrics and vocals by Lana Gaige

Scene: Curtains open on IVAN in bed at the Yaga Ranch, tended by BABA YAGA. As he regains consciousness, he learns she saved him after a brutal battle with KOSCHEI THE DEATHLESS. Grateful but desperate to continue his quest to rescue his fiancée Marya, IVAN begs for a horse fast enough to catch KOSCHEI. YAGA, disdainful of KOSCHEI’s mechanical steed, hints she may have just the thing—if Ivan proves he’s not a fool chasing trouble. Impressed by his resolve, she considers helping him—once he’s strong enough to ride.