Narcoplepsy (2022) is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. The piece was written during the fall of 2021 when I finally became aware of my excess drowsiness throughout the daytime since my adolescence and sought medical advice. In this work, I tried to capture the anxiety, weariness, and helplessness of having narcoleptic symptoms. The piece was constructed by a sequence of short musical phrases, which resemble the patient’s struggle to stay awake. As Narcolepsy progresses, the boundary between reality and dreams blurs, and consciousness is gradually overtaken by sleepiness.

Narcolepsy (2022) for viola and guitar

Water Droplets (2022) was first conceived of as an exercise on structure and harmony. As I composed the piece, the work became a vessel through which I was finally able to embrace my intuitive decisions. The tile came after the work was finished and seemed fitting because of its intuitive nature. To me, the imagery depicts the journey of water droplets as they morph into different shapes and create various random repercussions.

Water Droplets (2022)for solo piano

Written in the summer of 2022 dedicated to Ziqing Guan.

Distant, Close, Closer (2022)for solo flute

April 16 Premiere Performance by New Sounds Quartet at UofSC

A Sliver Of Sky(2023) for String Quartet

Can we actually say something if anything at all?
Premiered by Adam Sadberry (flute) and Robert Bui (cello) at Vila Albertine, NYC, during the 2023 Etchings Summer Festival.

Say Something (2023) for Flute & Cello

Lang Tao Sha (2019) MIDI rendition

Less is more.
"How would you know what "less" is, if you don't know first what "more" is?" —Jacob Collier

Shupeng Cao

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