Compositions
After hunting down composers to write for the toy piano, I realized that there were a lot of pieces that I wanted to write for myself. My compositions use unconventional instruments and sound-making devices that become integral to the visual and aural components of the work. I am influenced by my love for bell and gong sounds, field recordings while traveling, and an ongoing desire to magnify small odd things in my imagination and memory.
Colure (2010)
for toy piano and bowls
to be released on Mesmers
Munin Raven (2010)
for live-electronics and music box
to be released on Mesmers
Down The Rabbit-Hole (2010)
for toy piano, hacked antique toy piano, live video, live-electronics, tea set and found objects
in collaboration with Rob Dietz
Cobwebbed Carousel (2010)
for toy piano, hand-cranked music box and video
written for Margaret Leng Tan
Stardust (2010)
for toy piano, electric cello, music box, effects and live video
written in collaboration with Johannes Moser and Rob Dietz for the Sounding Off tour
Carousel (2009)
for toy piano, live hand-cranked music box and video
Double Helix (2009)
for toy piano and bowls
Hand-cranked Music Box Collection(2009):
Since acquiring several hand-cranked music boxes, I have been experimenting with them both acoustically and amplified. I discovered that toy pianos and music boxes have a lot in common since both instruments’ sound are produced from metal tines/rods and both instruments need a “box” or resonating chamber. In these works, I have mounted the music box mechanism onto a toy piano so that the piano itself is the resonating body for it. These works are an on-going project of short electronic pieces made very spontaneously from music boxes.
eclipse
…even when shadowed, there is light!
clocks unwound
because time doesn’t always make sense
passage
I created this short piece while working on the Coraline project in May. It is inspired by the lingering feeling I had of the passageway into the Other World. This is dedicated to all the Coraline musical members!
followme
Exploring a lower range, the music box sounds hauntingly similar to a marimba
troika
made by three different music box tracks
Speckled Umbrella (2009)
a short toy piano piece dedicated to my niece and nephew
Chroma(2008)
for toy piano, audio cassette tape web, VHS dress and cocoon, 3 overlapping video projections, shadows, broken cassette player, live video mixer, electronic music/sampler
The Memoirist (2007)
The Tale for toy piano, music box,frying pan
The Memoirist for toy piano sampling keyboard, video
The Dream for toy piano, bowls, video and pillow
Pearlessence (2008)
for toy piano, sampling keyboard, video, bubbles
Waltz Astoria (2008)
for two toy pianos, one performer
Starfish (2008)
created from windchime samples
