instrumentation: tenor, piano

year composed: 2024 | 15 minutes

I was originally asked by the International Brazilian Opera Company to compose an opera, but after some discussion, the project became a song collection of the poetry of Shangyang Fang from his book Burying the Mountain for tenor Yunxuan Zhu, as part of his residency with IBOC. 

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The poems I have chosen to set deal with grief, identity, memory, and consolation. I am especially drawn to Fang's poetry for its clarity and depth. Each poem is personal yet relatable and already has a beautiful musicality to it.