Mountain of Sighs

for cello and piano

premiered at Mannes School of Music’s Composers Concert Series November 6, 2024

Alex Glass, piano

Vivian Wu, cello

This piece began as a study in contrasting textures between the two instruments, exploring the juxtaposition between a dense, detailed piano figure and a droning, static cello part. As it developed, it took on an extra-musical association with Mt. Si, a landmark from my home state. It charts an ascent, a summiting, and a return. It was conceived in Conrad Cummings’ Juilliard Extension class and workshopped at the 2023 Operation Opera festival at CSUS. The final version was completed with the guidance of Nina Shekhar in the first semester of my Master’s studies at Mannes.