a æ u ɔ ɪ (2025)

ver 1 - soprano, oboe, cello, percussion / 10 minutes

ver 2 - soprano, clarinet, cello, percussion / 10 minutes

Composed for the UBC ACTOR Project

Premiered by Shayanne de Boer (soprano), Tiana Ropchan (oboe), Aireleen Zhu (cello), Yueyi Liu (percussion)

Selected for Vancouver Pro Musica's Sonic Boom Festival 2026

Finalist of the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards 2026

Program Note

a æ u ɔ ɪ was composed for the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation, Teaching of Orchestration) project. This piece explores the timbral possibilities of the voice by deconstructing the text into its individual syllables. The other instruments either support the voice or mimic the syllables using contemporary techniques. The text is taken from Philippians 4:13 in the Bible. The piece begins with pure vowel sounds, gradually introducing consonants. Over time, these fragmented elements shift through a spectrum of textures and colors, eventually coalescing into the full, revealed phrase.