PROGRAM NOTES

This piece was written during a transitional period in my life. Graduating from the Eastman School of Music, saying goodbye to my friends, and packing up my room, all triggered various flashbacks within me.

 

I came up with the opening melody while improvising at the piano, and at the time, I posted it as an Instagram reel, titling it “Improv About Childhood”. As the semester passed by and graduation day approached, I started to think about this melody more frequently, reflecting upon my time in college, high school, and the people I have met.

 

The melodic material aims to evoke a sense of nostalgia, as well as the desire to face the future with optimism and excitement.

 

The English translation of the title is “A Note/Letter in the Wind”, however it could be interpreted in several ways, leaving the meaning slightly unclear. A word-for-word English translation would be “A little word in the wind”. In a metaphorical sense, the title aims to evoke nostalgia through the imagery of a note blowing in the wind, representing a blurry memory drifting away through the air, into an unknown future.

 

Dedicated to Jo-Ann Sternberg and the Maine Chamber Music Seminar.