Jan. 2025 (for countertenor, violin, and piano)

I was intrigued by the flowing and dreamy quality of James Russell Lowell’s poem “The Sirens” and decided to set an excerpt from it to music. The wave-like obstinato of the piano sets the scene of tranquil water as the violin chimes in with sometimes alluring and vocal, and other times bird-like chirping lines above it. And the countertenor joins in on the conversation, admiring the beauty of nature and lulling the listener in with imagery vivid to all five senses. This splendid beauty eventually meets a grotesque twist that reveals how deadly a charming mystique can be. I am so grateful and excited to write this piece for Karlo and Melody, who never fails to bring me joy and inspiration.

Written for and performed by Karlo Andrei Antalan 🎶 and Melody Choi 🎻 for their senior recitals in April 2025 at Taplin Auditorium in Princeton University.

Excerpt from The Sirens by James Russell Lowell

Here all is pleasant as a dream;
The wind scarce shaketh down the dew,
The green grass floweth like a stream
Into the ocean's blue;
Listen! Oh, listen!
Here is a gush of many streams,
A song of many birds,
And every wish and longing seems
Lulled to a numbered flow of words,
Listen! Oh, listen!
Here ever hum the golden bees
Underneath full-blossomed trees,
At once with glowing fruit and flowers crowned;—
So smooth the sand, the yellow sand,
That thy keel will not grate as it touches the land;
All around with a slumberous sound,
The singing waves slide up the strand,
And there, where the smooth, wet pebbles be
The waters gurgle longingly,
As if they fain would seek the shore,
To be at rest from the ceaseless roar,
To be at rest forevermore,—
Forevermore.
Thus, on Life's gloomy sea,
Heareth the marinere
Voices sweet, from far and near,
Ever singing in his ear,
"Here is rest and peace for thee!"

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.

March 2022 (for voice, violin, harmonica, and guitar)

lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri Lee

Written, performed, and produced for an 11th grade English assignment, Bindlestiff Blues narrates the story of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men about two migrant workers who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression.

The song explores the lives of Lennie, a burly but child-like migrant; George, a companion and care-taker of Lennie; Slim, a skilled worker and omniscient figure; Candy, an aging ranch handyman; Crooks, an African-American stable-hand; Curley, a confrontational, aggressive young man; and Curley’s wife, the only female character in the story, desperate for company.

Oct. 2020 (for orchestra & voice)

lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri Lee

Taking advantage of a global project that allowed for creativity to shine through, I collaborated with my friend, Jessi Kaufman, in writing Madame Deficit, which tells the story of the French Revolution through Marie Antoinette’s perspective. This song merges music of the two parties in dispute: the royal family and the poor. By gloating, complaining, and gossiping, the sassy queen brings the listener back to the major social upheaval in the 18th century.

Special thanks to all of the wonderful singers and the awesome lyricist!

illustrated by Satoko Kitagawa

The lyric video, with Nora Schell Podoll as Antoinette, was premiered in the virtual holiday concert video in Music Around Us Project (MAUP #16).

April 2020 (for mezzo-soprano and violin)

“The Tyger” is a famous poem by William Blake who was a pious man and an accomplished painter before he became interested in poetry. He frequently incorporated biblical themes in his paintings and poems, since he was extremely religious during the earlier part of his life. But, this particular poem contains a dark undertone as the speaker asks a series of rhetorical questions regarding the existence and the audacity of God. It is a good representation of a crisis of faith, which may have been affected by a traumatic event in 1787 (which was when his beloved brother died from tuberculosis at the age of 24. This poem actually goes hand in hand with another poem Blake wrote called “The Lamb”, which is kind of like paying tribute to God and the creation of the world. So I began the piece with a sweet “lamb” motif that progresses into dark, twisted music to illustrate the change in his view of God. I hope you enjoy, The Tyger.

Performed remotely on zoom by Duo Cortona on May 9th, 2020