Jan. 2023 (for chamber ensemble) The second chapter of Avast, Ye! begins as the pirate captain and the crew set sail again after a successful treasure hunt. Soon, the celestial singing of maidens drift towards them in the salty air, calling and beckoning. Peculiar, that maidens would be found amidst the untamed waves of the sea. But the pirates are given no room for even a seed of suspicion, as…

Nov. 2021 - April 2022 (for full orchestra) Inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this piece illustrates the eloquent, stirring story of Hester Prynne, a resident of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony who conceives a daughter through an affair and is forced to suffer through a life of social degradation, repentance, and loneliness. Each movement focuses on a major character of…

March 2022 (for voice, violin, harmonica, and guitar)lyrics by Jessi Kaufman & music by Yuri LeeWritten, 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…

May 2022 (for strings orchestra and ocarina)for Mr. D & the Siwanoy Sinfonietta “Bald Eagle...is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly...[he] is too lazy to fish for himself. [While a turkey is] a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America...He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.” - Benjamin Franklin. Franklin’s…

Feb. 2022 (for clarinet, violin, and piano)Inspired by Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome, this piece explores the theme of inverted fairytale. The bright, playful beginning reflects the somewhat untroubled life of the Frome household and the light-hearted interactions between Ethan and Mattie. But Zeena’s jealousy of her husband and cousin’s budding romance begins a chain reaction of events…

Feb. - Oct. 2021 (for violin and piano)Millions of people’s bright futures were extinguished, leaving their families and friends behind to suffer the aftermath of sudden tragedies. Many lives, dreams, opportunities, loved ones, and happiness were lost due to COVID-19. Even without a pandemic, we sometimes encounter moments where we forget how to smile, where the colorful world is soiled by gloom,…

July 2021 (for flute, horn, and piano)A friend once told me, “I wish mosquitos disappeared from Earth; they benefit no one.”The annoyingly energetic mosquitos are given a second purpose in this piece, transforming into beautiful stars as they float upwards to decorate the sky.Ensemble Winner of the National Young Composers Challenge 2021; performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra members @…

June 2021 (for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano) Here’s a new version of Sherlock Tango, this time with a new instrumentation and protagonist. Who’s Nyarlock? He is my version of the genius.Performed and recorded by International Contemporary Ensemble in July 2021.National YoungArts 2023 Finalist WinnerThe American Prize National Nonprofit Competition in Composition (chamber division)…

June 2021 (for bandoneon, violin, cello, and piano)Inspired by the world’s beloved Sherlock Holmes, this piece begins with a creepy carousel-like music that the mischievous Moriarty, the arch-enemy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mastermind detective. Holmes intervenes before the situation becomes too perilous, looking for clues and solving the puzzle before humanity suffers great destruction. The…

May 2021 (for violin, guitar, bassoon, and percussion)The giant finger-eating hamster is back, but this time as a quartet!Recorded by International Contemporary Ensemble in May 2021.