Leaving White

In one Chinese tradition of painting, the artists intentionally leave large blank spaces in their renditions of natural landscapes. The blank spaces are intended to grant the viewers more room in using their imaginations. Now I know what you're thinking - but don't worry - I didn't compose this piece with large, silent spaces, leaving the listeners to imagine their own music. The title, Leaving White, refers instead to my own experience writing this piece. As a composer, I have found inspiration for my music in a variety of places: photography, life experiences, traffic signs, the periodic table of elements, and even internet search engines. But with this piece my compositional process was much different. I consciously tried to remove all extra-musical associations from my mind in order to leave my mind blank; thus leaving white.

Work Categories: Large Orchestra

ACO Performances

21st Underwood New Music Readings (2012)

June 1, 2012 8:00 am

Miller Theater at Columbia University

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