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Avalokiteshvara's Hand (2009) for solo percussion (marimba, vibraphone, crotales, tuned gongs and temple bowls) |
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Sun, Moon, and Star (2007)  for two soprano, violin, cello, double bass, percussion and piano |
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Midnight Run (2007) for choreography, music, and visual projections |
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Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain (2006) for shakuhachi, violin, cello, double bass, marimba and percussion I. Silent Field II. Rain | |
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Silk Road, Silk Road (2006) for harmonica quintet I. Mirage, elevation 12,000 feet II. Baby Camel Walk III. Mirage on the train | |
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Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain II (2006) for guitar and marimba duo for marimba solo |
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Secrets and Ice Garden (2005) for piano quintet |
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Red Peony Sky in Mid-June (2003) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone and crotales I. Sunset II. Nightfall |
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Through the Interwoven Growth (2003) for woodwind quintet I. Forest of the bare branches II. First snow upon the evergreen growth III. Valley stream's fragrance of the green green woodlands |
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Imagery of Water (2002) for guitar, harp, vibraphone/crotales and double bass I. Drops II. Rain III. Icy |
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Love Memo (1998) duet for flute and piano |
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Dream Sketches (2001) for string quartet I. Moon II. Drunken III. Separation IV. With the wind V. Dance shadows |
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For a New Millennium (2000) for woodwind quintet |
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Awakening from a Disappearing Garden (2009) for solo cello, narration and orchestra |
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In Search of Seasons
for orchestra (with narration opening) (2008), 13' for string quartet and orchestra (2007), 16' |
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Her Thousand Years Dance (2007) for shakuhachi (or alto flute /other non-Western flutes), cello, percussion and string orchestra |
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Memories from My Previous Lives (2005-6) for orchestra |
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Softly I Speak to you, of Orchids and a Dream (2005) for soprano, harp, piano, and string orchestra |
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Symphonic Journal: Ambush from Ten Directions (2002) for large orchestra with narration |
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The Suite for Orchestra (1999) for orchestra I. Awakening II. Blessing |
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The Burning Babe (2008) for SATB choir, organ, strings, winds and percussion |
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Oh Stars, from the Abyss (2008)for women's chorus, strings, piano and percussion |
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Merry Go Round (2007)for SATB choir a capella |
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Therefore We Do Not Lose Heart (2004) for women's choir, a capella |
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Beyond the Rainbow (2003)for soprano, tenor/countertenor and baritone; double bass, narrator and
piano |
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Dreams of them enter, like men alive, into the maiden room of their lovers...(2000) for guzheng and effects processors |
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An Image of Mercury gliding across the Sun (2000) for piano and electronic sound |
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Dialogue with the Old Poet (2001) for bassoon and Max Msp program |
| Premiere: | Yo-Yo Ma and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Hall, October 15-16, 2009 (New York premiere) Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, November 7, 2009 Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture Commissioned by Carnegie Hall through a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée |
| Duration: | 32:00 |
| Premiere: | (orchestra version) Yale Philharmonia Orchestra, November 20, 2008, Yale University Woolsey Hall | |
| Performances: | Colorado Symphony Orchestra public reading, July 17, 2009, Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex Minnesota Orchestra, Future Classics Concert, November 21, 2009, Minnesota Orchestra Symphony Hall |
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| Duration: | ca. 13:30 with narration | |
| Premiere: | (string quartet and orchestra version) Hong Kong Sinfonietta, October 5, 2007, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall | |
| Duration: | ca. 16:00 |
Listen| Premiere: | Tanglewood Music Center, Seiji Ozawa Hall, September 13, 2006 (New York premiere) Carnegie Hall Zankel Hall, September 16, 2006 Commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation, presented jointly by The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, Yo-Yo Ma Silk Road Project and the Tanglewood Music Center of the Boston Symphony Orchestra | |
| Duration: ca.15:00 | ||
Listen from Carnegie Hall Podcast| Premiere: | Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Sunday, April 15, 2007, 3:00 pm Osvaldo Golijov/Dawn Upshaw Young Artists Concert |
| Open to Public Featured Composition: Bard College-Conservatory of Music Olin Hall, April 11, 2007 Commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation a part of the Osvaldo Golijov/Dawn Upshaw Professional Training Workshop |
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| Duration: ca.15:00 in 3 movements | |
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Star Oh Star Twinkle You teach me how to love How to sparkle How to twinkle You make the sky blue When there is rain When there are storms Breaking in our lives- "Just feel. Relax Please stay calm and see how life will shape." If love Is love- No hesitation Keep bright Keep shining Be sure that he can see you "Should there be any questions? You are the only answer." So near So far Twinkle little star |
Moon Oh moon All the nights Lessons on the phone- How to dress up How to make up And how to speak tenderly And if I recall And when I recall All those happy nights (Plus your sweetness) It is a great gift You turn Your face Life has many fashions- Be proud Be sad It is not the same old story. "Because we are not the same, We are unique from them all." You shine on me Smile, in my dreams |
Sun Oh sun Sure will You give me my strength To be brave Generous Those good things You tell me not to hesitate When there are problems and frustration Never retreat- "Just to do it, with all you can- And life will be okay." You burn Yourself To light up our lives So bright So warm We show our own glory. "Should there be any complaints? There should be few regrets." Life is a festival Because Of you |
Because Of you Of you Of you Of you (P.S. Which one are you?) |
| Premiere: | New Works Showcase with distinguished artist Martha Clarke Choreographed by Peabody Dance director Carol Bartlett Story and music by Angel Lam Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall, Peabody Conservatory April 14, 2007, 7:30 pm and April 15, 2007, 3:00 pm |
| Duration: | 22:00 |
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When I was eight, I lived with my parents in a lovely apartment on the 7th floor;
there was a large round balcony, facing south. The apartment was on a very quiet street in the middle of
the town, which was quite unusual for a big city. My father usually came home very late, and I liked to sit at the balcony, to wait for his appearance on the street. In a moon shining summer night, I sat at the balcony, enjoying the southern wind blowing all over my body...like soft hands caressing my face...I fell asleep. I was woken up by a certain noise from the street below me. There was a young lady, well dressed in a silky yellow dress, her hands holding a pair of high heel shoes...she was running through the midnight streets, barefoot. As her whisper-like steps broke the silence of the night, a very beautiful and mysterious scene, her body seemed to be floating along, dressed up with gentle winds embracing her body... Who was she? Why was she running at midnight? Were there anyone chasing after her? Was she angry? Was she sad? What made her run? These questions kept me thinking for a very long time. The image of her, that striking yellow under the silvery moon... never left me. She kept running, and running, all these years. She ran into my mind. She stayed with me, and kept me running as I grow up...well dressed. |
 
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| Premiere: | Greenvich Village Orchestra In a concert titled Spiritual, Sunday, November 18, 2007 Washington Irving Auditorium, New York, New York Soloist Eric Jacobsen, cello and Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi |
 Painting by Angel Lam
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| Duration: | 14:00 | |
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As a composer, my life is a beautiful, chaotic mess. My mind is full of notes and ideas, but it spares no space for a normal life. Every time I travel, I always forget something important, like a passport, identity card, or money... Once in a while, I go back to my birthplace. My mother will take me on a journey to visit the Guan Yin, Goddess of Compassion. This visit is when I feel truly released, caressed by Guan Yin's gentle, all compassionate smile. When I was small, I used to call her the Green Buddha; my grandparents owned a Guan Yin figurine made out of precious green jade. For thousands of years, Guan Yin is the most worshiped figure among women in China. She has the most elegant and graceful facial features of all female faces. No matter which angle you view her, she is always wearing a welcoming serene smile that intently listens to all that speak to her. Women pray to her for help and guidance to their grievances. They ask for a good husband and blessings for their family. Is it too simple to rely on a jade green figure for our fortune? As the well-known Chinese author Eileen Chang once said, "Life is a luxurious and majestic overcoat, but when we examine it closely, it is full of worms and maggots." From time to time, I want to pray in front of her, to massage the soul and keep hopes for the future. This is my song; in dreams the Green Buddha invites me to join her in her dance, beyond the boundaries of time and space, the thousand years dance. |
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| Premiere: | Hong Kong City Hall Theatre, October 23, 2006 and Februry 26, 2010 Commissioned by Hong Kong Arts Festival 2010 and CASH Music Fund, "Musicarama 2006" and Hong Kong Composers' Guild |
| Duration: | 12:00 |
 Self-portrait (1992) |
Prologue I invoke the writing technique of American author Truman Capote's non-fiction novel style in this composition. Like his A Christmas Memory, this piece is filled with childhood fantasy, though only memories, a sorrowful world of beauty too rich to be forgotten. I. Mirage, elevation 12,000 feet III. Mirage on the train At this elevation, where the air is thin, everyone have difficulty breathing. My body became weak, head feeling dizzy, but this is all worth it. Just looking at the majestic scenery outside the window, mountains covered with snow caps desirable like ice-cream sundaes. The sky a stunning metallic blue, against clouds that are florescent white, and the grass is an endless field of rolling greens. I have never seen so many shades and layers of green in my life... Suddenly, I thought of my elementary school classmate...she seems to be here too, sitting right behind me. I remember that day, in my third grade class, my art teacher was not happy with my painting. She said I'm always painting outside of the lines and edges of the drawing. She was angry that I do not obey the rules. I couldn't help but cried, and my classmate comforted me. My classmate was even willing to trade me her box of soy milk for my painting. Suddenly, she disappeared again. II. Baby Camel Walk This movement has two main ideas: little camel's playful and happy personality, and traveler's joyful and relaxing feelings riding on a camel. I fused these two elements in the music, I hope listeners can share the fun of traveling in the northwestern plains of China. |
Through the Interwoven Growth (2003) topI. Forest of Bare BranchesII. First Snow Upon the Evergreen Grove III. Valley Stream's Fragrance of the Green Green Woodlands
One November afternoon I took a walk through the woods. Half bared branches interwove with each other as if they were holding hands. They locked sunshine onto the ground, reflecting rays of silvery sprays. When the wind blew, the movement of the tree branches and fallen leaves changed the direction of the shine, and I saw myself dancing in the mystery of a silvery river... The scenery was so stunning that I could hear it sing. The wind mingled with the leaves and the leaves with its branches; I paused in amazement to listen. Out of silence, music was born. I chose the bassoon to begin the opening of the first movement; to me it has an enchanting voice that seems to carry the spirit of the tree from which it is made. It begins the call of the interwoven branches in the opening of this composition; they grow out of each other like lyrical branches... I have always been attracted to the distinct timbre of the woodwind instruments, and am especially fond of writing for this combination. The generic name for their family of instruments also inspired this piece, the 'wood' 'wind' quintet. They each take on a special character in my music, weaving out a dialogue of interwoven melodies. I saw nature through the eyes of the painter; all of nature is an interwoven tapestry of lines, dots, and colors, spun out into a mysterious lyricism. Seasonal changes have always amazed me and reminded me of how majestic nature's creation is--the first day of snow fall, first roar of the spring thunder, first warm breeze from the tropics in mid-May... it is such an alluring experience that sometimes I think it is beyond us to completely replicate. This composition is my sincere attempt to translate these impressions into music. The second movement, "First Snow Upon the Evergreen Grove", describes the first snow of winter that changed the color of the natural landscape. Neon white flakes danced in the sky, and hang on to the deep black of the evergreen forest. The opening, animated motive danced and interwove to the beats of a sky of flying snow flakes. The world waited in harmony for the season to come... The last movement describes the wake of spring to the beginning of summer. The woodwind melody is the choir of all living creatures at the dawn of spring; valley stream bubbling with fragrance in the gentle flowing passage of the clarinet and bassoon. I could smell the mist of an approaching summer rain... In this set of three movements I translated the scenery into musical notes. The melody of the five different shades and characters of the woodwind instruments interweave with each other simulating the great art works of nature. The reflection of nature in art is my greatest passion. Imagery of Water (2002) topI. DropsII. Rain III. Icy Premiere: Peabody Institute, Goodwin Hall, Dec. 2002
I enjoy the beauty of watching a drop of water fall into still water, the image reminds me of a saying from Heart Sutra of Zen Buddhism: Form is no other than emptiness; emptiness no other than form; form is exactly emptiness; emptiness exactly form. All perceptions and things perceived are essentially empty. The form may be a thought or an emotion or an object. Drops is an imagery of that form--like dew drops falling upon still water, they create a graceful, subtle wave of ripples... it is a beautiful sight, that comes into being, and goes out of being... Rain is a process. The music is inspired by the myth of the forbidden sight of a fox wedding in the deep forest of Japan. Icy is coming back to form again. Softly I Speak to You, of Orchids and a Dream (2005) top
Text: In Mandarin Chinese (English translation) You ask me, what is my favorite, what do I love? A girl's heart, how could it be expressed, how could I speak to others... The good things that I like, one sentence cannot express, one sentence cannot express all; Maybe...little by little, I can reveal to you. I like summer nights, new moon, and the southern wind... A sky full of star lights, bright and twinkling, My favorite is the orchid, its fragrance fills the house... Most unforgettable is the first rain at dawn, the sun rise and warms every home... It warms my home. (Original text and translation by the composer) Notes: This piece was first drafted in 1993 when I was still in junior high school. Recently I met a wonderful singer at Peabody, who has a beautiful voice that is subtle and delicate, and excels in a very high range, most suitable for this piece. The text is written in Chinese. Singers told me that they enjoy singing in a foreign language, so I did not worry about the language difficulty. Luckily, my soprano, Jeannie Cheng, is originally from Taiwan and managed the text with ease. It was premiered at Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Conducting Recital of Chi-Chung Ho. Love Memo (1997) topPremiere: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Composition Recital, Dec. 1997Ballet Premiere: "Love in Cynical City" a multimedia dance production, Cheung Wan Civic Centre, Hong Kong, Nov. 1998 Duration: 5:30 Play music
Last summer, I accidentally came across a hundred pages of love letters. I was helping my cousin to move to her new home in Sai Kung. Since there was no late bus home, I spent the evening at her house. It is a twenty year-old Spanish style independent house. While I was cleaning a wardrobe under the staircase, I discovered a small, abandoned paper box, neatly wrapped with pastel-colored floral paper, the wrapper a bit faded. Inside the box, was a bundle of yellowish, dusty letters. I opened one of the letters--the writing is delicate, sensational, and replete with an out pouring of affection. It is the hand writing of a girl named Ah-wai. More than a hundred pages of letters, all written to the same person, Fai. Looking at the date of these letters, she wrote everyday, sometimes even twice a day. The content, simple, ordinary, yet direct. She repeatedly records fragments of daily happenings… How are you? It was raining very hard here this morning... the Northern wind might come tomorrow Is it cold at your place? I got a runny nose again, I was late to school I spent the whole night, reading, every single page of her letters. Her letters, so touching...but, I feel sorry for Ah-wai. She had never sent these letters out, not even one. I know, not even one; because each page was smooth and straight, not a trace of it being folded or wrinkled. After that night, I wrote this piece of music. I dedicate this song to Ah-wai. Wherever she is, whatever she becomes right now, I wish her beauty and happiness. Secrets and Ice Garden (2005) top
One evening, I came upon a street with many tall Glinkgo trees neatly lined up on both sides of the street; it was snowing soft light flakes, and the sky was a mesmerizing wine red color. The trees were large enough that both sides' branches touched each other, like giants holding hands. Each branch wrapped with a crystal clothing, like nature's chandelier. The scenery suddenly lightened my heart. I carefully took out a small plastic bag to fill some fresh air into the bag, sealed it up, in the hope to bring it back home as a memory. Maybe others will think this is silly, so I have never told anyone about this small secret that I kept, that evening in Hokkaido, in a city at the northern most island of Japan. I tried to use music to describe that secret ice garden that I found, using the most beautiful notes that I could think of...I'm afraid I could only come close to the majesty of nature's works. Avalokiteshvara's Hand (2009) topScored for solo percussion using marimba, vibraphone, crotales, tuned gongs and temple bowlsPerformed with slow bodily movements like choregraphing Tai-Chi; bell-like sounds resonant as though in a temple Premiere: Pending Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain II (2006) top
Play music
Thirty minutes have passed since Miss Young let us out from our kindergarten class, but grandma still hasn't arrived. This is quite unusual; she is always on time. I become more and more anxious, but Miss Young keeps me calm, "She's coming...don't worry." Sitting on the front steps of my kindergarten school, I look down the pathway to a very busy street. The street, a narrow, downward sloping road of two-way traffic, with a small muddy sidewalk for pedestrians to walk alongside the cars and trucks. I try to catch a glimpse of my grandma, but she is nowhere in sight. My school is built at the top of a small hill; a beautiful red brick pathway connects the school to the busy street. The street leads down to the bottom of the hill where my home sits, five or six minutes away by foot. That day, another hot and humid summer day, the aggressive afternoon sun of the subtropical island activated the scenery in front of me. The trees seemed to be moving in the heat, their roots clawing the ground like monsters stretching their palms. People walked slowly, dragging the long shadow of their body...Suddenly, I cried. A sudden storm came over the school. It began to rain. The afternoon sun shone through the rain. I decided to run home. When I saw Miss Young turned away from me to help other children, I took my chance. I ran. She saw me running down the slope among the heavy traffic. Shocked, she ran after me, calling out behind me, "Careful, careful...Stop! Stop!" I was five years old, carrying a book bag as big as myself. Big trucks and cars were going opposite directions--the street was so narrow that two big trucks cannot pass at the same time. Miss Young chased after me, but her aging legs eventually slowed her down. From a distance, I heard other people calling me. Their voices, like the low-pitched, blunt murmurings of the ancient Emperor centuries ago. The sounding of horns carried long tails of screams. They sounded eerie; that encouraged me to go even faster. I felt myself growing big. The afternoon sun shining behind me; I saw my own shadow running brave and tall. When I heard a distant temple bell drummed from its pavilion, that very moment, I saw my grandma. She was coming toward me, face to face. She looked bigger than usual; her face, sprayed with a neon, glowing shine. Her body, dressed in her favorite, usual blue silk gown. It seemed all of a sudden, silvery new. She came fast, swept over the ground, as if floating... I was a stranger to her; but I easily recognized her...that smile, always so gentle and peaceful. She came toward me. I reached out to touch her, she floated through and I turned around and called out to her, but the afternoon sun shined directly into my eyes, and grandma, melted into the core of the afternoon sun... I finally got home. Everyone was crying at home, and no one said a word. I did not cry. I went straight to my little writing desk, and started a letter: Dear Grandma, Dream Sketches (2001) topI. MoonII. Drunken III. Separation IV. With the Wind V. Dances with Shadows Premiere: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, April 2001 Performances: Peabody Conservatory of Music, Composition Recital, Griswold Hall, Jan. 2002 Peabody Conservatory of Music, Thursday Noon Recital, Friedberg Concert Hall, April 2002 Duration: 12:00 This piece is inspired by an ancient Chinese poet, Su Si. In 1076 AD, Su Si wrote a poem on the evening of the Mid-Autumn festival. It is a festive day for family reunion in China every year. That evening, he drunk wine, alone, until dawn, longing to see his brother who have departed him for seven years. The piece expresses in musical imagery the luster and darkness of the moon, gestures of a drunken poet, a lyrical song about separation, the graceful lightness of a wish to be carried away by the wind and a whimsical dance with one's own shadow. For A New Millennium (2000) topPremiere: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Recital Hall, Eastern Winds Quintet, February 2000Award: 1st prize, Millennium Competition for Woodwind Quintet Composition, Hong Kong, June 2000 Award Performances: Performed by Eastern Winds Quintet 29th Annual International Double Reed Society Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina. August 2000 Hong Kong City Hall. June 2000 Duration: 5:30 Carry Me Over the Rainbow (2000) topPremiere: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, April 2000Duration: 10:00 Love in Cynical City (1998) topPremiere: "Love in Cynical City" a multimedia dance production, Cheung Wan Civic Centre, Hong Kong, Nov. 1998Duration: 5:30 Memories from My Previous Lives (2005) topReading: Peabody Symphony Orchestra Dec. 2005, and Chicago Reading Orchestra July 2006Duration: 9:30 Play music
This piece is about a fragment of a memory or dream that haunted my mind numerous times; it seems to yearn for remembrance. The piece is about my struggle to remember this memory or event, which occurred sometime long ago, in the distant past...beyond the reach of my memory. When I was still a small child my family moved to Los Angeles. At age 16, with a piece of music that I wrote as a young child, I was admitted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Once again, I return to my birthplace. I clearly remember that summer: the moment I came down from the airplane, I could feel the unbearable heat and humidity of Hong Kong's subtropical climate in mid-July. I became emotional, easily angered and frustrated, and increasingly allergic to everything around me. I wished I could fly back to Los Angeles immediately to embrace the dry, sunny climate of southern California. Summer seemed like it would never end. Finally in November I found relief when a friend of my father's took me to visit the Big Buddhist Temple on an island off the coast of South China. I started to go there every Saturday to learn and practice the ways of Buddhist mediation. Surprisingly, I adapted to the Buddhist mediation quite quickly; I even enjoyed it. One month later, I had grasped the techniques, and even some secrets to mediation-- I would wonder endlessly in a timeless journey, floating in a silent space. The feeling is quite wonderful. It is peaceful, serene, sometimes even beautiful. However, at the end of my training I had some very unusual encounters during my meditation sessions. I felt myself sprinting endlessly in darkness, somewhere unknown, perhaps during the midnight hours. Above me is a sky full of stars, twinkling; below me, endless fields of rolling red dusts. I feel as though there are people, groups of them, chasing after me. I would awake from these sessions in freight and terror. I asked the chief monk at the temple why this was happening to me, and what could be the meaning to all this terror. He was unable to answer my inquiry; sometimes he would nod as I told him the details, but would not say a word about the meaning. Later on I became more persistent as this imagery recurred more frequently. He said to me, "These are the memories from your previous lives... the mystery of their content and meaning, only you yourself can come to understand." I have translated my experience of this dream journey into this composition.  Symphonic Journal: Ambush from Ten Directions (2002) topPremiere: Hong Kong Sinfonietta, March 18, 2005. Yip Wing Sie, conductor and artistic directorU.S. Premiere: Symphony of the Oak Park and River Forest, Chicago, May 21, 2006. Kim Diehnelt, conductor Orchestral reading: Aspen Music Festival 2002. American Academy for Conductor's Orchestra. Kim Diehnelt, Conductor Peabody Symphony Orchestra. Teri Murail, conductor; Valerie Rogotzke, narrator Duration: ca. 10:00 Play music
Notes:
Ambush from Ten Directions is the famous battle that took place in China, in 202 BC. It is the battle that determined the success and establishment of the Han dynasty in China--a dynasty as powerful and prestigious in East Asia as the Roman Empire, its approximate contemporary, in the West.(1) This historical battle is also a battle about three men: Hong, Lau and Shun. These three men had very different character and human quality; the result of the battle had a long and deep influence upon China's history and its people. The three main characters in this battle are: Lau (leader of the Han region(2)), a top player in human relationship. He devotes his time to playing politics and manipulation of human relationships. He was unable to defeat his top enemy, Hong, for many years and had lost all of his previous battles against him until he gained the help of Shun. Hong (warlord and king of Western Chu), a military genius and a courageous warrior; his talent comes from his overwhelming confidence. This quality frightens Lau. Shun (Lau's commander-in-chief in this battle), a management specialist and a person with great self-discipline. He was successful because of his detailed planning and arrangement of battles, and because of his careful strategizing, calculating possible responses of his enemies and creating plans to quickly adept to different situations. Shun was appointed by Lau as the commander-in-chief in numerous battles--by the time of this battle, Shun had already won all of Eastern China. Through Shun's careful management and planning, Lau successfully defeated Hong and established the Han kingdom. Ironically, Shun and three generations of his related family members were sentenced to death by his boss, Lau. Lau is a man with no loyalty, and he wanted the spoils of war all for himself. I heard about this battle many times since I was a little girl; I do not agree with the description in movies and story books. The attack they depict are simplified that they could not have deceived me, and I cannot believe that it could have defeated an experienced warrior such as Hong. By glossing over General Shun's winning strategy and glorifying Lau, these depictions reflect a tradition that undervalues merit in favor of skills for manipulating relationships. In this composition, I prepared a new perspective and explanation of this battle. (1) National Geographic, Feb 2004, Vol. 205 Issue 2, p2, 28p; To this day, the members of the ethnic majority of Chinese still call themselves "people of Han". The Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 220), followed the Chin (Qin) Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in Chinese history. (2) Initially, the principality of the Han region consisted only of modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi and was a minor, humble principality before 202 BC. *Other translation of the name of each character: Hsiang, Shin and Liu The Suite for Orchestra (1999) topPremiere: "Composer's Workshop Series", Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Tsung Yeh, conductor. August 1999Reading: Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts Duration: 6:30 I. Awakening II. Blessing This is my first orchestral work completed during my undergraduate studies. The first movement is about a personal spiritual awakening and the second movement is a caricature of a parade of ceremonial blessings in folklife Hong Kong. The Burning Babe (2008) top
Oh Stars, from the Abyss: A letter from Qin Jin (2008) top
Therefore We Do Not Lose Heart (2004) top
Beyond the Rainbow (2003) topOpera in one actStory by Angel Lam Lyrics assisted by Douglas Basford (Johns Hopkins University, English dept. faculty) Premiere: Peabody Opera Etude Location: Theatre Project, Baltimore, Maryland Directed by Roger Brunyate, Peabody opera department director Dreams of them enter, like men alive, into the maiden room of their lovers... (2000) topPremiere: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Electronic Music Showcase, March 2000Duration: 6:00 Marching proud with joy and anger, clad in brilliant coats of sable and silk, five thousand young men act on their vow to crush the Tartans, at the Western territory. Arisen from their crumbling bones, on the banks of the river of no precise location, Dreams of them enter, like men alive, into the maiden room of their lovers... by Chen Tao, translation by Angel Lam Notes: This poem I found in the ancient Chinese poetry collection "The Three Hundred Poems from Tang Dynasty" (618-907 AD). I was stunned by the vivid imageries, of restless youth on battlefield, and the most beautiful moment, is the poet does not reveal the spirit of the poem until the very last line. I'm also captivated by the beautiful sound of the zheng. 
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