Winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Centennial Composition Competition

Performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and in Carnegie Hall.


My Sinfonia was commissioned and premiered by the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra in 1997 and consists of three contrasting movements: Overture, Winter Moon, and Chatterbox.

The Overture expresses surprise and shock at the twists of fate that interrupt what might otherwise be orderly, meaningful directions. It is a fantasy built around themes of contradiction and loose ends. Its writing coincided with the discovery that my father was terminally ill with cancer—a shock that left a lasting impression on me about the fragile nature of our goals and trajectories in life.

Winter Moon was inspired by, and written in response to, a poem by Langston Hughes of the same title:

Winter Moon
How thin and sharp is the moon tonight!
How thin and sharp and ghostly white
Is the slim curved crook of the moon tonight!

The setting is icy, cold, lonely, and bleak. Yet, amid this emotional desolation, a poignant beauty emerges from the stillness. Throughout the movement, time seems to stop, motion ceases, and very little happens, creating a stark, introspective atmosphere.

Chatterbox was inspired by an acquaintance who, once started, could talk quickly and endlessly, often exhausting their welcome. I found that I could best depict this character with a quasi-rap, initially presented by the winds—a musical lick that becomes ever-present and obnoxiously resilient.