a recording is coming soon

year composed: 2024 | 5 minutes

I composed this piece as part of the 2024 Twisted Spruce Online Symposium, in which I was paired with guitarist Renzo Rodriguez to compose and perform an original composition for guitar. Earlier that summer, I had become interested in the Youtube Channel "Paul M Smith Photography." Mr. Smith has a talent for capturing weather phenomena that I couldn't stop consuming. One of his videos "Red sprite storm 2019 in 4k" was especially alluring to me. The colors of these sprites and their exciting gestures inspired me to write this piece. The main theme represents the large storm clouds and events that precede the sprites' illumination, which I chose to represent with a slow, harmonic-heavy celestial passage. I was inspired to incorporate elements from the genres I listen to, including EDM (electronic dance music), ambient pop, Renaissance lute song, and post-minimalist classical music. I'd like to thank Renzo for lending his help to and patience with me  in the compositional process. I'd also like to thank my older brother Stephen, an avid electronica fan, who helped me with the fixed electronics, and Noah Lyons, my friend and audio engineer, who helped me mix and master the electronics part.