ASYMPTOTE - Chinese-Jazz Fusion

ASYMPTOTE is my most representative work.  Click here for more info and an EPK video. Fresh arrangements of Chinese classics including "The Moon Represents My Heart" and "Kangding Love Song," a tongue-twister about Eating Grapes, a setting of Li Bai’s most famous poem, and songs influenced by my love of mathematics and literature.

COMFORT GIRL

COMFORT GIRL is a musical exploration of the lives of Chinese 'comfort women' who were abducted into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during WWII. The work is a tribute to these young women and their courage, not only during the War but also afterward - when they returned home to families who didn't always welcome them back with open arms. Their story is still relevant, as survivors continue to fight for justice, and trafficking remains a global issue. The music is inspired by true stories survivors have told. Click for more info and a video trailer. The audio album will be released in 2027.

Comfort Girl is currently being developed into a chamber opera, Jade Star Hotel, with librettist Susan Kander and commissioned by the American Opera Project.

SILENT FILMS IN SOUND

Commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, I wrote original scores to two early Asian American–focused silent films:

The Tong Man (1919) - Sessue Hayakawa, the first Asian American actor to achieve fame in Hollywood, stars in this crime drama as a hit man for a Chinatown gang.

The Curse of Quon Gwon (1917) - This romance is not only one of the earliest known Asian American films but also one of the few silent films made by a woman. In the film, a Chinese American family are put under a curse for becoming too “Westernized.”

Click to watch the films with our performance.