I have been teaching my friend to play the piano. He wanted to give his bride a surprise at their wedding with a song. I listened to various arrangements of this melody on YouTube, but felt them perhaps too lighthearted for this occasion. So I wrote this easy-to-play but more serious arrangement of the song; with four lines of slow counterpoint to accompany the pretty melody.

Scored in August 2007.

This my finest composition to date (August 2005) in terms of emotional directness and coherence of form.

In January of 2005, I began taking lessons from the composer and professor Larry Bell at the New England Conservatory of Music. Each lesson formed the highlight of my week. I worked every evening composing into the night preparing for the next lesson.

For the first few pieces we worked on, he provided strict restrictions to ease the composition process. This piece was the first I composed without the aid of his thoughtfully designed rule frameworks. I composed this out of a need to express the longing I felt for someone.

Composed in May 2005.

Recorded live on 5 June 2005 at the New England Conservatory of Music with Anna Anderson on the violin and me on the piano.

It took me seven takes to make my recording of Beethoven's first sonata. After completing that seventh take, I sat at the piano ruminating about the performance trying to decide if I needed to do another take. I played this improvisation in the midst of those thoughts.

I often find many of my improvisations become trite upon repeated listening. Often, I begin to discern the technique I used and it loses its mystery for me. This one, however; has resisted that fate.

After playing this, I decided I was too tired to do another take.

Recorded in the studio on 14 February 2002.

The Adagio grew out of this piece for solo piano. I have an affection for brevity so this piece has a special place in my heart.

Composed in April 2005.

Every adjacent note in this composition is at most a half step away from each other.

Composed on 1 February 2005.

In this conventionally tonal piece, the note middle C is never allowed to stop sounding. I find it the piece conservative but not without charm.

Composed on 1 February 2005.

Like many composers, I find it painful to listen to my older pieces. The passage of time makes what I thought was daring seem prosaic now. What I felt was the height of severity now seems only conservative, what was my most violent expression now comes across only as an emphatic gesture.

Still, composing this sonata was a milestone achievement for me. With my father dying in the hospital with aortic aneurysm, I decided to begin to work towards what I hoped to achieve in my life. I wanted to create beauty and so I began to learn at a feverish pace.

I studied Beethoven's piano sonatas. I studied photography and painting. I composed and photographed. I began to learn what I valued most in life.

A year later, I had my first sonata and a few good photographs.

Composed from January 1998 to January 1999.

After the completion of my first Piano Sonata, I organized a concert to present my music in July of 1999. I invited the Chinese community at Microsoft as well as my friends, anticipating a small group of friends to come. To my surprise and great gratitude, many people came to support me.

I decided to compose more music for the occasion and wrote this and the Wind Quintet. Before discovering "serious music", I loved jazz exclusively. I wrote this piece to remember that time in my life.

The recording is a mix of a recording of my Yamaha console piano and a GigaSampler bass.

Composed in July 1999.

This was my first ensemble piece.

Composed in June 1999.

This piece is written strictly in the Dorian mode.

Composed on 1 February 2005.