When I first came in contact with a piano in my childhood, I was mesmerized by the instrument. Not knowing anything about musical scales or the significance of the black and white keys, I was intrigued by the consonant and dissonant intervals I kept discovering at random. The combinations seemed endless and anything was possible.

Now, decades later, as an experienced composer, I don’t want to lose sight of that wonder and curiosity of exploration. In my recent compositions I have begun to rely more on improvisation and abstract splashes of ideas layered on top of one another in search of startling sonorities. I feel more at ease giving freedom to the music that reveals itself to me this way instead of conforming it into a preplanned shape.

Such was the composition process of the Piano Quintet, a fun and joyful piece, reminding us that in this cynical and artificial world, we must take time to be carefree and playful.

Premiered on the Knoxville Chamber Music Society concert on February 17, 2024 by Zofia Glashauser, violin, Kyle Venlet, violin, Rachel Loseke, viola, Stacy Margaret Nickell, cello, Emi Kagawa, piano