Chamber

Vitamin N (P)Arty for Trombone and Piano 2024

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(Ni)Nano Variations for Horn Ensemble 2024

Silent Turbulence for String Trio 2024

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Silent Turbulence for string trio explores the concept of ambivalence and how we live with it. Often, even when I feel swept into a whirlwind of emotions that seem to contradict one another inside, I may appear poised outside. This isn’t just a reflection of my own but a truth about life itself—many things are inherently contradictory when you care to look beyond the surface. Those who seem to be at peace on the outside may be screaming internally.

When such moments stretch on for an extended period, they can create a sense of disorientation, blurring the line between reality and delusion. It’s a feeling that is both me and not me. On many days, we carry profound inner turmoil caused by the ambivalence in life, yet we manage to maintain an exterior of calm, wearing the masks of composure. Turbulence in silence.

Through three movements, this piece portrays the duality of emotional ambivalence. The first movement emphasizes timbral contrasts, while the second develops this idea through pitch material. The third movement illustrates contradiction through overlapping rhythmic layers, weaving a narrative of silent turbulence.

I would like to thank my friend, Eun Young Lee, whose insightful conversation about the concept of “silent turbulence” inspired me to write this piece.

OK, Boomer! for Trumpet Ensemble 2023

지전춤(jijeonchoom): Dance for the Dyed Deaths for Woodwind Quintet 2023

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Ariaria for Solo Instrument and Piano 2023

Ariaria for Clarinet and Piano - Youtube Link

Ariaria for Violin and Piano - Youtube Link

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have faced unprecedented social division, isolation, hate, and inequality. The blatant displays of racism and the surge of anti-Asian violence across the country have devastated the lives and communities of millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

This piece is my musical cry to mourn the victims of racism, shout for equity, and commit to the restoration of justice. I incorporated different types of weeping gestures, drawn from Korean indigenous instruments, and featured them across the three movements to evoke a communal cry.

The first movement, 창 (Chang), draws inspiration from the expressive techniques used by Korean traditional singers in 판소리 (Pansori, a form of musical monodrama), particularly the powerful portrayal of grief. The second movement, 해금 (Haegeum), evokes the sobbing sound and expressive gestures of the 해금, a string instrument. The third movement, 대금 (Daegeum), captures the emotional tone and distinct voice of the 대금, a bamboo instrument known for its deeply sentimental sound.

Through this piece, I hope to grieve for the deceased, weep with the bereaved, and let this painful cry be heard. I also wish for this music to heal and console those of us who gather to listen.

Dedicated to those who lost their lives and loved ones to gun violence, I made this piece open-source and adaptable for any solo instrument and piano so that it could be shared in as many places and by as many musicians as possible.

Three Sketches for Brass Quintet 2022

Randomosity 2022

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Freestyle Battle 2021

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Lament for the Dyed Death for Mixed Ensemble 2021

Arirang Fantasie for String Quartet 2013

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Composed in 2013, Arirang Fantasie for String Quartet was inspired by Arirang, the most beloved folk song in Korea. This song has been handed down through tradition for several hundreds of years allowing diverse variations. The elaboration of melody, creation of verse lyrics, and various rhythmic modes reflecting regional distinct features have all appealed to diverse artists.

To me, the improvisational quality of the song and the deep resentment behind it have encouraged my appetite for composing this piece.

The string quartet was the perfect tool to reflect my personal imagination of the bitter sorrow and wit carried in the original song. While the original tune is reflected to some extent in this composition, nothing is directly borrowed or quoted.

Lament for Everlasting Flower 2013

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Lament for the Everlasting Flower was written for and premiered by Ensemble Dal Niente in the 2015 Red Note New Music Festival in Normal, IL.

The rose of Sharon, called Mugunghwa, is the national flower of Korea and it means the everlasting flower. After the war, Korea’s economic growth was remarkable. However, the rapid growth left serious side effects; materialism, considerable pressure for education, immature democracy, and most of all, the highest suicide rate in the world. Suicide is the number one cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 30, and the second cause for the rest of the population. I believe suicide is homicide by society, not just an individual mental problem. There is not much I can do here as a composer, but weep for the deceased, weep with the bereaved and let the world hear this painful cry.

This piece includes the contrast between the intense and chaotic section depicting anguish and the soft and delicate section portraying melancholy. The reoccurring rhythm throughout the slow section is cited from Sangyeosori, which is traditionally sung by coffin bearers at funerals.

아리랑(Arirang) for Flute, Cello and Piano 2009

My Treasure for Eight Players 2007

Space for Two Cellos and Two Pianos 2004

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The intention of my composition “Space” is to inspire audiences to recognize ‘space’ as an indispensable musical characteristic. In this work, ‘space’ can mean physical space between instruments, audible space between sounds in different registers, and different kinds of tone colors and harmonies. For the most effective performance, it is highly recommended that the players are positioned in such a way that they each occupy their own space comfortably. Ideally, the players should be stationed as far away from each other as possible.

This piece is in the basic form of ABA’. It is made up of eleven sub-sections, each showcasing different conceptions of the same material. In effort to offer a further cohesive nature, every interval and note value in this composition follows a series based on prime numbers. In this piece, the silent spaces between notes are a part of the music.

Sonorities in section A are built around the communicative properties that result from the lingering sounds from different instruments through different directions. As a result, the performers and the audience will feel the physical distance between instruments as well as the space between notes.

In section B, the materials which functioned as communicative properties in section A are developed without as much focus on the sonorities lingering. Once the notes start to be played at the same time in a faster tempo, the relationship the instruments had in section A evolves. The simultaneous chords and clusters eliminate the silence between sonorities and between instruments, and the music starts to be heard as an immersive cloud of sound.

Section A’ is the re-consideration of section A, in which the cloud of sound re-emerges into its original disparate, yet linked state.

Variations on Theme ‘Jonah’ for Woodwind Quintet 2003

String Quartet No.1 2003

Piano Trio No.1 2002

Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Cello 2002