For the second year in a row, I have written a composition especially for my girlfriend Steph's birthday. Unlike last year, when I wrote a typical Classical sounding work with standard Classical orchestration, this year, I wanted to write something more gentle, warm, slow and romantic. For this reason, I deliberately excluded brass, strings and timpani which for me represent a more harsh and dramatic timbre. Instead I wrote a slowish 5/8 piece with various woodwinds (including blown bottle, recorder and cor anglais), pitched and unpitched percussion (antique finger cymbals, triangle, sleigh bells, glockenspiel, kalimba, marimba and celeste), and a harp. I chose these instruments to try and create a warm, translucent, floating and magical timbre and character. Perhaps subconsciously I did this knowing Steph's love of all things Disney. My inclusion of harp to provide extra richness to important harmonies was done to create a Tchaikovsky-like effect (especially for the enharmonic chord progressions) since Steph is also a lover of ballet. I included kalimba as Steph owns a kalimba and enjoys improvising on it. Usually the harp and percussion enter intermittently to punctuate key moments, although at high points all instruments play together, creating what I like to call "Tchaikovsky meets steam-punk". The sleigh bells are absent in the first section, but begin to feature in the middle section, and are included more extensively together with triangle in the recap/coda.

Steph's Birthday Song 2021

Maxim Orchestral

Dawn of Spring

About 2 months, my Music class for Masters gave us a fun weekly task to compose music for a short 6-part comic strip, 'Shark at Bondi', using Soundtrap.
I have attempted to use drums (yes, it's a bit cheesy) with orchestral instruments (clarinet, cello, trumpet and trombone). The basic gist of the story is that a young couple are having a nice date on the beach, then a shark comes out of nowhere, the man is underwater while his girlfriend worries if he is ok, then after a suspenseful silence, he emerges victorious!

Shark At Bondi

I began writing this symphony in 2011 when I was in year 11. At the time I was having one-one-one composition lessons and trying to challenge myself to write the longest movement (the first is 20 minutes). I am now returning to this and expanding the 3rd and 4th movements.

For your convenience, the 1st movement segues directly into the 2nd around 20'20". The 3rd movement begins (an incomplete Scherzo) begins around 35'50". The 4th movement (an incomplete Finale) begins around 38'40".


The opening is uncertain and unsettled in terms of tonality (and if I'm honest, I was unsure where the music would go). The arrival at the main theme is by contrast very much in C major, and in some ways, I'm ironically using very standard chord progressions and deliberate "chunky" orchestration. As the movement develops, I introduce a more sentimental/pensive 2nd theme in A-flat major. The development is very long, and develops ideas mainly from the main theme and motifs from the introduction. At times, rhythms (rather than melodies) from the 2nd theme are subtly hidden within the main ideas. There are extended moments of quiet and peace to break up the drama. A new theme is introduced in this section, and is gradually developed (including once as a faster comedic folk-dance, and once more in a longer version in the recap). The recap is very drawn out and has frequently interruptions and key changes. The coda is a little like the introduction, as it becomes more vague/wandering in both melodic ideas and keys, gradually dissolving into the dark 2nd movement.

The 2nd movement begins with a brooding solo bassoon theme, unsettlingly supported by high octave tremolos in the violins. This theme gradually unfolds and develops in new ways and travels through a variety of unrelated keys. There are moments of suspenseful stillness, moments of pensive sentimentality, as well as moments of thumping drama. This movement has influences of Mahler (earlier this year, I had rehearsed and performed Mahler's 5th symphony which might explain this). The fluid tonality is often created through enharmonic relationships and subtle chromatic movement between voices. The main theme is very disguised near the end, appearing in faster 3/8 version, and from this, a couple of smaller new ideas are created along the way.

The Scherzo melody came to me when I went on an Europe holiday with family later that same year, and was sitting at a train station in Singapore. Around 2015, I orchestrated the first section of this. My intent was the make this light and cheeky (almost silly to contrast the heavy and dark 2nd movement). Before long there is a brief dramatic moment, but I try to bring the character back again to the former cheekiness.

I sketched a few different possibilities for the opening of the finale and until recently, did not orchestrate it. All I knew is that I wanted it to begin grandly and triumphantly, and re-establish the home key of C major. In 2015, I wrote the 1st few bars for violin (in 3 note chords). Very recently, I orchestrated  this fully and repeated the idea a few times on different related chords. Between each of these dramatic statements, I added calm melodic material for small groups of woodwind instruments. I am now beginning a main theme which bears resemblance to these introduction melodies and the developmental theme from the 1st movement.

Symphony #11 In C

I am keeping up the tradition and have once again written a song especially for Steph's birthday! I have tried to keep it gentle and warm in sound and character to reflect who Steph is to me. I included cor anglais to mellow out the sound of the wind section and have also included french horn (but no other brass). I tried to capture the almost magical Disney-like sound through use of vibraphone, tubular bells and triangle (since Steph loves Disney and the sparkle of the triangle). I also included bass guitar to reinforce and warm the sound of the bass line at times.

Steph's Birthday Song 2022 🎂🐇🥰🥳💕

Today is Steph's birthday, and keeping with tradition, I have composed her another piece for the occasion. I have tried to capture a gentle mood and sound overall, scoring for a smaller orchestra and favouring instruments like recorder, cor anglais, french horn, celeste and triangle.

Steph's Birthday song 2023 🎂🥰🐇🥳

This year, Steph turns 30 and I have kept with tradition by composing her another orchestral piece for her birthday. I have tried to keep it very upbeat and festive and used latin percussion (like castanets, guiro, shakers and cowbells) to create a rhythmic drive. To keep in this folky spirit, I have also included electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar and balalaika. To give the music a bit of a Disney-like sparkle, I have included metallic percussion like the triangle (Steph's favourite), antique cymbals, glockenspiel, tubular bells and vibraphone. I have also included vocal synth, bass flute and recorder to add to this magical transparent tone.

Steph's 30th Birthday Suite 🎂🎁🐇🥳💕

I improvised this on piano the other day when I was feeling stressed and depleted of energy. Music is a wonderful way to vent in a healthy and creative way. Although the music may often seem dark it travels through various moods and has moments of light and hope. There are definitely influences from my favourite composers (Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky).

Purple Storm Clouds (for Piano)

Way back in 2007 (when I was in year 7, 13 going on 14), I first began to get more serious about composing. I had been mucking around on the piano for about a year or two before that. At this time, I began my first experiences in symphony orchestras. I was excitedly inspired by chamber works by Bach and Beethoven's symphonies (as well as various works I was rehearsing in youth orchestras). I was keen to compose music at first in Bach's style (one of my earliest works is reminiscent of a Sinfonia from Bach's Christmas Oratorio). Following this phase, I become very driven by the intense rush and drama of orchestral music as well as the many amazing colours from all the different instruments (especially woodwind and percussion). I made it my mission to write a symphony! After a few attempts at short orchestral works, I wrote my first symphony "in C major". It was very short. I had a very basic understanding of musical forms. My first movement was virtually a short cheesy fanfare introduction that only lasted about 2 minutes. My understanding of "sonata form" at the time was orchestra with a solo instrument (I guess that would be "concerto form"). The following movements were slightly longer and tended to be in ternary or rondo forms. 2 years later, after I had done some curious research on the structures of Beethoven's symphonies (as well as a heap of listening to many symphonies by him, Mozart, Haydn and Schubert, as well as Brahms and Tchaikovsky), I wanted to rework the symphony to make it less cheesy, but more grand and dignified, and to flesh it out into something reminiscent of sonata form. My mini fanfare was fleshed out into an introduction (now in G major, instead of C)of greater weight, then this led to 2 brand new themes that become the basis of my sonata form structure. I only brushed the surface of the 2nd theme before giving up and I left this alone for many years. Recently in 2017, I was going through old files and decided I wanted to commit to at least completing the first movement. I have been working at this on and off, including a very dramatic development section which combines and overlaps motifs of all 3 themes. The orchestral style is a little thicker given I had changed over the years, but I try to return again to the lighter classical style at times. I finally completed the movement about two months ago.

Symphony 1B In G Major (reworked 2009 - 2020, Mvt 1)

Today (August 12) is my girlfriend Steph's birthday! I wrote a short orchestral work for the occasion. This is quite energetic and skips along at the beginning, with the main theme being passed between tutti and smaller chamber combinations. Near the middle, a dramatic tutti segue occurs twice, each time followed by a more Romantic theme, moving antiphonally between woodwind and strings. The piece finishes with a modified version of the opening theme and re-establishes a feeling of joy.

Maxim Sheko

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