Cracked (2021) is a string quartet about eggs, one of my favorite foods, in terms of both the ways we cook them and the potential life force that it contains. The first four movements——soft-boil, fry, steam, and scramble——are vignettes of my favorite ways of preparing eggs, and I focused on bringing the respective cooking methods, textures, and tastes of the movements' namesakes to life. The last movement, hatch, aims to capture the wondrous process in which a chick grows inside an egg, and reflects on the respect we should have for all the food that we, so often, take for granted.

Cracked was written for The Rhythm Method as part of the Lake George Music Festival Composers Institute.

This recording was performed by Cong Quartet.

Cracked (2021) for string quartet

"When David heard that Absalom was slain he went up to his chamber over the gate, and wept, my son, my son, O Absalom my son, would God I had died for thee!"

Absalom's tragic story has often been encapsulated by this devastating, vivid line from Samuel II 18:33——a heartbreaking culmination of all of King David's errors in dealing with Amnon's horrific, incestual rape of Tamar, Absalom's sister. I wanted to trace that trajectory, trace their entire story, and see how years of mistakes and interactions between David and Absalom led to this tragic moment. A timeless trio repeats Absalom's name over and over, while the rest of the text takes from moments when King David either orders a decree that affects Absalom or directly addresses Absalom, contextualizing and recontextualizing each utterance of his name.

Absalom (2022) was commissioned by and dedicated with great admiration to NOĒMA and its founder and Artistic Director Sanders Lau for their inaugural concert.

Text adapted from Samuel II, ch. 14-18:

Absalom...

Let him turn to his house
Let him not see my face

Go in peace

Deal with him gently

My son

Would God I'd died for thee

Absalom

Shadow Puppets (2023) is a gift to my mother who, through this childhood memory and many others, taught me and my brother joy.

Text by Adrian Wong 

amber windows
through dusty haze halo 
the cross-legged trio 
their heroine
throwing shadows
on the closet door
squeals of delight urging her on 
applause
laughter

orange rays
baptize her delicate digits
casting soft muted
agile shapes
forgoing details
for simple joy
warmth happiness filtering through 
golden
hour

I remember
a dog
growling, barking
a swan
gracefully swimming through water
a rabbit
going pitter-patter
a dove
soaring through the sky
a frail old lady with knuckles for gums 
trembling and shaking she let out a whimper

her delicate digits 
dissolve into tender gaze 
watching over
me and my brother 
giggling squealing 
applause laughter

a dog a swan a rabbit a dove
a frail old lady with knuckles for gums 
trembling and shaking she lets out a whimper

I remember

amber windows
through dusty haze haloed 
our cross-legged trio
our heroine
threw shadows
on the closet door

orange rays
baptized her delicate digits 
cast soft muted
agile shapes
where details have forgone 
for simple joy

a dog a swan a rabbit a dove
a frail old lady with knuckles for gums 
trembling and shaking she lets out a whimper

"Do you remember me?
Do you remember me?
Do you remember, remember me?"

Shadow Puppets

I: Black And White (excerpt)

II: Durianland! (excerpt)

III: Grandpa's Lullaby (excerpt)

I: soft-boil (excerpt)

II: fry (excerpt)

III: steam (excerpt)

IV. scramble (excerpt)

V: hatch (excerpt)

Glass Flowers

Composed in 2018, 迴光 is a setting of a poem of the same name by Brian Kot (b. 1999). The piece’s dark harmonies and slow tempo reflect the brooding atmosphere in the poem’s mirrorless, light-less world as shadows slowly lengthen on the ground. The music slowly builds up to its climax as the persona is tragically killed by a formless, shadowed figure. The piece then relaxes and diminuendos into a reflective, soft end.

迴光 - Remnants of the Day

迴光 - Remnants of the Day (2018) for unaccompanied SATB choir

Komorebi (2020), written for baroque string trio, was inspired by one of my daily walks from my home in Ann Arbor to the music school. It was in the fall, and Michigan had not yet been engulfed by the thick dreary clouds that descend upon us every winter. The warm sun was shining through the leaves which scattered and reflected the light, shades of orchid yellow and green sparkling like the most beautiful sequin dress — a phenomenon coined "Komorebi" by the Japanese. The wind was gently caressing the tree as it rocked the branches side to side, rustling and whispering as it passes through the leaves. It was a genuine, beautiful moment in a semester racked with anxiety and stress, a rare flash of unadulterated joy.

Komorebi was written for the 2020 University of Michigan CoLab Concert.

Komorebi (2020) for baroque string trio

赤壁 (2018) was written for the Diocesan Boys' School and Diocesan Girls' School Senior Mixed Choir, led by Felix Shuen, one of my most important mentors who single-handedly led me to pursue music as a career. I am very grateful for Mr. Shuen's trust in me throughout high school, where he not only introduced me to choral music but also appointed me to be one of the chairmen of choirs and student conductor during my junior year. 

In return, I wanted to write a competition piece for his choir that would showcase its many strengths. I already had a very clear idea of what gestures I would incorporate in the music, having sung in the choir for three years previously, but the difficult part was finding the text - I wanted something that was epic and grandiose enough to warrant the huge sound that was in my mind. In the end, I chose the legendary War of the Red Cliff as my basis and started combining and adapting different texts about the battle.

The finished piece is sung from the perspective of the renowned general Cao Cao, whose ultimate downfall in this battle marked the failure of his last chance to conquer the whole of China. This piece not only captures the sounds and atmosphere of the battle but also, more importantly, Cao Cao's reminiscence and hopelessness as it dawns on him that he has forgone his best opportunity to achieve his life goal - a haunting prospect that was the prime motivation in the writing of this piece.

Text:

赤壁

對酒當歌，人生幾何？
譬如朝露，去日苦多

東風大作，長江翻波戲浪
中江舉帆，軍皆立觀

火烈風猛，船往如箭
煙炎張天，雷鼓大震

老驥伏櫪，志在千里
烈士暮年，壯心不已

赤壁 — War of the Red Cliff (2018) for unaccompanied SATB choir

Urban Pulses (2018) for piano trio

Hold Down the Fort (2019) for written for Eric He 何尊豪 (Eastman School of Music) at the Brevard Music Center.

Hold Down The Fort (2019) for solo multi-percussion

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Adrian Wong (b.1999) strives to create music that is engaging to perform and listen to, and he aims to create an emotional connection with his audience through imagery, drama, and unapologetic conviction. Adrian’s music takes inspiration from a wide array of subjects, ranging from the natural world, intersections of Chinese and Western culture, to the personal, day-to-day occurrences in life. His pieces have been performed at the Brevard Music Center,  Midwest Composers Symposium,  University of Michigan – Ann Arbor,  University of North Texas, Bard College, the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, Radio Television Hong Kong, Ko Shan Theatre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tokyo Daiichi Seimei Hall, Kobe Bunka Hall and other esteemed venues and concerts. Adrian has also been commissioned by notable ensembles and musicians, including the award-winning Diocesan Boys’ School and Diocesan Girls’ School Senior Mixed Choir, the Diocesan Choral Society, the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, and the Aurora Winds. Adrian was selected to participate in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Composers Scheme, and he also won first prize in the Hong Kong New Generation 2019 Composition Competition, held by the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild.

Adrian is currently pursuing a B.M. in music composition at the University of Michigan, studying with Bright Sheng, having previously studied with Kristin Kuster. He has also studied with Robert Aldridge, David Dzubay, and Ng Wah-hei. Adrian is also studying piano with Matthew Bengtson and conducting with Courtney Snyder, with previous teachers including Mark Stover, Julie Skadsem and Felix Shuen.

黃子峻（1999-）是香港土生土長的作曲家，而他希望能夠透過充滿魅力及戲劇性的音樂感動聽眾。黃氏的音樂從多處取材 – 除了日常生活的經歷之外，他亦曾經探討過有關大自然以及中西文化等題材。黃氏的作品曾在Midwest Composers Symposium，Brevard Music Center，University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, University of North Texas, Bard College, 香港校際音樂節，RTHK Studio One，高山劇場，香港中文大學，東京第一生命音樂廳及神戶文化中心等音樂會及演奏廳中上演。他曾被拔萃男女書院混聲合唱團，香港作曲家聯會，以及Aurora Winds 等優秀的表演團體委約作品。黃氏最近被香港管弦樂團的「何鴻毅家族基金作曲家計劃」揀選為該樂團譜寫新作，亦於香港作曲家聯會舉辦的2019 New Generation 作曲比賽中贏得冠軍。

黃氏現正於密西根大學修讀作曲系學士，師隨盛宗亮博士及Kristin Kuster博士，而他曾師隨Robert Aldridge博士，David Dzubay博士及伍華晞博士。黃氏亦跟Matthew Bengtson博士學習鋼琴及跟Courtney Snyder博士，Adrian Slywotzky博士，Mark Stover博士，Julie Skadsem博士，和孫子承先生學習指揮。

Adrian Wong

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