JACKSON ALFREY (B.M. '25): “I Stood in a Forest for a Moment”
This piece is based on a relatively simple experience I had a few weeks ago where I looked out the window and was reminded of my home in Ohio. Just out the window there was a single tree whose leaves completely covered the view. In contrast to the new pressure of this city, this was a very profound moment that threw every bit of pressure off my shoulders. This piece is written as a direct response to haiku I wrote about this very instance:
Months of sirens
Fall off my shoulders
In a forest again
It’s a simple emotional experience, so simple melodies carry the piece, and are decorated by various textures to create different contexts of the forest. Lastly, new textures develop as the piece comes to a close and these different moments are laid on top of each other.
—Jackson Alfrey, composer
CHLOE SMITH (B.M. '25): “Rejection”
This duet for violin and viola is meant to capture the feelings of rejection, whether it be societal, familial, romantic, or religious. All of us have experienced at least one—or all—of these forms of rejection. The beginning embodies the preparation to give yourself to a person. You may be calm and collected, formulating how you’re going to present yourself. But as the music progresses and the time comes for you to actually speak, you feel hesitant, anxiety making your stomach churn and do backflips. Then, towards the end, you finally express yourself...and then you hear a “no.” And then you’re frozen, your words are caught in your throat, and you feel your heart drop...which is why the music ends without ever finishing the beginning motif.
—Chloe Smith, composer
ZEXUAN DING (M.M. '23): “Flower Shadows”
“moonlight penetrating through the dark to the ground, shadows of flower swaying all around.”
The piece is aimed to express the emotion of this poem I penned, depicting the "shadows of flower swaying all around" under the moonlight. The flower branches are swaying, and the shadow of the flowers is changing with their state.
—Zhang Xian, composer
PETER ZHAOYANG HAN (B.M. '25): Brass Quintet in E-flat, Op.10
Writing a brass quintet with a fanfare beginning has been a desire I had for a long time. As I have access to all these fantastic brass instruments, I think a fanfare is very appropriate with this instrumentation. In the second movement, I prepared a sonata-allegro movement for you, which I do all the time. The third movement incorporates a Bach chorale, as I am trying to present a little drama for you. The last movement is a Sousa-style March, in honor of the 167th birthday of John Philip Sousa on November 6, when I was composing this movement. Personally, I like Sousa's march, mostly because of my experience in marching band, and I think such form works for the brass quintet instrumentation. Overall, I hope you enjoy this piece.
—Peter Zhaoyang Han, composer