the garden surrounding (2026) (6 min.)

Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet in B♭, 2 horns in F, trombone, percussion (1 player: wood blocks, suspended cymbal), piano, 2 violins

Premiered August 8 and 9, 2026 at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Youth Ensemble concerts
Zoë Huet, flute; Emiliano Ramirez, oboe; Ava Storm, clarinet; Jacob Stone, horn 1; Justin Saelee, horn 2; Kaydyn Drake, trombone; Michael Chang, percussion; Jack Roche, piano; Andrew Neal, violin 1; Estella Ye, violin 2; Benjamin Goodwin, conductor

Program Note

During my travels in Fiji this past summer, every local I met would regard the island of Taveuni as the “garden island.” Wherever you look, greenery and sprinkles of color surround you as far as you can see. Despite spending only a mere five hours on the island itself, I was still inspired to write a work evoking the dream-like landscapes in the garden surrounding.

the garden surrounding

Audio mockup of the piece