Portfolio

a soundscape composition

Sound files used:
megapenguin13. 2011. Bottles Clinking.aif. https://freesound.org/people/MegaPenguin13/sounds/118199/ Accessed 14 April 2024
xenognosis. 2011. Two plastic bags.wav. https://freesound.org/people/xenognosis/sounds/137247/ Accessed 14 April 2024
splicesound. 2014. Shopping cart - carriage, slow speed.wav. https://freesound.org/people/SpliceSound/sounds/218327/ Accessed 14 April 2024
grupo3sonidodiegetico. 2014. supermarket_inside.aif. https://freesound.org/people/grupo3sonidodiegetico/sounds/255709/ Accessed 14 April 2024
775noise. 2019. Shop door bell.wav. https://freesound.org/people/775noise/sounds/494565/ Accessed 14 April 2024
garuda1982. 2021. Cash register beeping sound effect.wav. https://freesound.org/people/Garuda1982/sounds/555122/ Accessed 14 April 2024

Grocery Store Etude (2024) for electroacoustics

Sailing Into The Sun (2024) for large ensemble

Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Laura Cocks, flutes
Madison Greenstone, clarinets
Marina Kifferstein, violin
Ellery Trafford, percussion

[Program Note]
The inspiration comes from reading academic papers, grappling with their meaning, feeling a bit frustrated, and ultimately playing with the sound of words.

[Text]
"Composition puts together elements from the input spaces to create new entities in the blended space, yielding flowers that can gaze and empathize. Completion extends the image suggested by the original mapping, drawing on our background knowledge of the circumstances summoned by the CIN. For instance, we know that flowers deprived of nourishment will soon die; thus, the flowers that will be laid with the miller in his grave will almost certainly be dead flowers. Because these are anthropomorphic flowers, we can also imagine that the nourishment they require is not water (even in the form of bitter tears), but evidence of true love." (Lawrence Zbikowski, “The Blossoms of ‘Trockne Blumen,’” Music Analysis Vol. 18, no. 3 (1999): p.313.)

“Composition puts elements from the input spaces” (2025) for TAK Ensemble

PROGRAM NOTE

This piece, a collaboration between Yenhsing Chen and Dooree Kang, was written for the 3rd Synesthesia Show, "Differentiation" (Peabody X MICA). It contains two parts: a sculpture and a musical composition.

We delve into moments of organic dialogue among different cultures, where established identities blur and transformation brings profound ambiguity. This effort to connect inevitably creates a challenging "gray zone," an uncertainty that sparks true understanding—especially when our communication in a foreign language doesn't quite meet our intention.

Dooree's work reimagines a traditional canvas as a sculptural installation where painting, video, and space converge. By projecting fragments of her daily life in the U.S. onto creased canvas and mesh screens, she investigates the "gray zone" between cultures—an ambiguous, fluid space where misunderstanding, humor, and moments of dissonance coexist and evolve.

Yenhsing's composition explores the interplay between two domains: language and music. The composer first recreates spoken language through meticulous instrumental writing, orchestrating the pitch contour, formants, and consonants of the speaking voice using the ensemble. Subsequently, this rendered speech is developed and transformed into musical material, thereby questioning the precise boundary between language and music. The initial material comes from the transcription of the composer's voice saying, "I hope you enjoy."

PERFORMANCE

Date: October 11-18, 2025
Location: Making Space Bmore, Organized by Synesthesia Spectrum
Opening Performance Oct. 11th, Saturday, 7:00PM
synesthesia-bmore.com/event/

Conductor: Ying Lam Eva Chu
Flute: Ivan Smaltsuga
Clarinet: Renzo DeCarlo
Bassoon: Jonathan Mokry
Violin: Isabel Rushell
Viola: Seoyeon Jun
Cello: Theo Geonhoon Kim
Double bass: Sunwoo Kim
Percussion: Cherri Chen
Percussion: Michael Liu

Recording: Yoonjung Lee
Directors: Yoonjung Lee, Dooree Kang

Yenhsing CHEN Speaking on the Threshold "I Hope You Enjoy It" (2025) for large ensemble

Baltimore–based composer and arranger
Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University
Taipei National University of the Arts