FEATURED LARGE ENSEMBLE
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RISING LIGHT - Grade 5
TO THE FULLEST - Grade 3
AN AMERICAN SONGKRAN - Grade 5
REGENERATION - Grade 4
AN AMERICAN SONGKRAN
Grade 5; Duration: ca. 6 minutes
Texas Tech University Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Eric Allen.
Songkran refers to the jubilant celebration of the Thai New Year, making the rough translation of the piece, “An American Celebration”.
On Songkran Day (Thai New Year’s Day), happiness would fill the streets, from friendly water fights during the day, and stunning floating flower lanterns at night. It was one of the fondest memories of my childhood.
My first experiences falling in love with music were Thai temples and Thai street music. And when I came to the United States, I equally fell in love with R&B, jazz, and pop music. This is my celebration of the two cultures joining.
TO THE FULLEST
Grade 3.5; Duration: ca. 6 minutes
To The Fullest, above all, is a celebration of life and hope. This piece was composed in memory of fellow UT Austin student and horn/mellophone player, Lauren Bajuk (2000-2022), who unfortunately passed away in a tragic car accident on June 24th, 2022. Despite the piece being born out of an unfortunate event, it is a tribute to how Lauren lived her life and treated those around her.
According to her mother, Jane Bajuk, “Lauren made those around her feel comfortable, valued and loved. She would want you to remember her hearty laugh, her thirst for knowledge, and her beautiful, full life”.
When I was asked to write this piece by her band director, Dr. Cliff Croomes, I was honored that her band director asked me to write this piece, but I was struggling to capture her life into a few minutes of music. He invited me to her memorial a few weeks later, where I was able to hear from and meet her dear friends and family. While I did not personally know Lauren, I saw many of my friends and classmates there, who all told funny and adventurous stories about her, as they were smiling through their tears.
At her core, Lauren was a joyful person who did not want to waste a single minute of time. Her sense of humor and joy was contagious to all, and through writing this piece, I was inspired by her legacy that she left.
When starting the piece, I had a conversation with her mother and brother. While we talked about her life, I asked her mother what she wanted the piece to sound like. She said Lauren would not want a sad piece, but rather one that encapsulated her joyful personality and deep care for the people around her.
A piece that would inspire us to not waste time in the life we were gifted.
A piece that would inspire us to walk out of the concert and go live life like Lauren did:
To The Fullest.
Performed by Orange County School of the Arts directed by Mathieu Girardet
RISING LIGHT
Grade 5; Duration: ca. 9 minutes
A few months ago, my mother asked me to walk with her to get groceries because she felt fearful of the violent, racist attacks on Asian American women across the country, such as the seven attacks on innocent Asian women in New York. From this, Rising Light, was born. I knew I had to say something with my voice I had been given, which was in music.
Asian Americans are raised to stay quiet and be non-confrontational about issues, and I found it hard to break my shell in writing. I was scared to write moments too big, and often thought about scrapping the piece. I, along with other Asian Americans, including my parents, had a fear of speaking up, which plagued me much of my life composing. Comments such as calling my music “too Asian” always got to my head, and I made sure I never used common Asian musical language or instruments in my music, such as a pentatonic scale or a gong in my pieces.
The name, Rising Light, is inspired by the floating Lantern Festival in Thailand, where I was raised, where people write their fears, worries, and thoughts on their mind and send it off on a lantern. For me, writing this piece has felt much like that, being a place for me to vent and express all my emotions regarding this issue.
Despite being disgusted and saddened by the surge of Asian hate, I wanted this piece to non-apologetically celebrate both the beautiful cultures I grew up in. While there are dark moments in this piece, I wanted this piece to celebrate the beautiful bi-cultural identity of Asian Americans.
Performed by University of Texas Wind Symphony under direction of Dr. Ryan Kelly