Arrangements
Picture: Frank Chen
Many of my arrangements are written for Stanford Talisman, an a cappella group that I’ve called my family for over 10 years now.
Some of these arrangements are found below.
One Nation Under a Groove –reImagined
Stanford Talisman a capella and dance extraordinaires Stanford Chocolate Heads collaborated on a project called "One Nation Under a Grove" within the Afro-Futurist program of Amara Tabor-Smith’s “REVIVAL: Millennial reMembering in the Afro Now.” I was vocal director/arranger for this collaboration, where I had the honor of working with Aleta Hayes, choreographer, and Geonnie Adams, instrumentalist/composer.
The grand finale of arrangement was an exciting reinterpretation of “One Nation Under A Groove” by Parliament Funkadelic. This joyous moment was preceded by other R&B classics such as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”, as well other inquisitive music such as "Lahlumlenze" by Thandiswa Mazwai –with lyrics roughly translating to “Whose business is it? Whose business is it if I dance? I am proud. I take such pride in you Africans."
A glimpse of this collaboration starts circa 8:00 in the accompanying video –amongst the other AMAZING pieces within the program.
Duerme Pueblo Mío
This arrangement is a blend of "Cancíon de Cuna" and "Cuando crezcas pueblo mío" by Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy. An artist influential in Nicaragua's Sandinista Revolution, Godoy not only memorialized the revolution, he educated the youth of Nicaragua about the past, present, and future of the country through his music. In these two songs, Godoy urges the youth to dream of a better Nicaragua, and follow that dream until it becomes a reality.
Duerme pueblo mío, que soñando empieza la revolución.
Duerme pueblo mío, porque tus sueños son el futuro.Sleep my people, for that dreaming begins the revolution.
Sleep my people, because your dreams are the future.
Tsubasa Wo Kudasi (翼をください)
It was a great experience to compose collaboratively with Zachary Isaac and Hannah Williams of Stanford Taiko on this piece. The process of working across different musical perspectives, rather than a solitary composer, was a wonderful way to better understand what the piece needed, musically and emotionally. In addition, writing a piece for our respective groups/communities made the experience all the more rewarding.
This collaboration begins with a meditative introduction, composed with fragments of this well-known Japanese melody; originally composed by Kunihiko Murai (村井邦彦). While Taiko explores the tensions of rhythmic ratios, Talisman journeys through dream-like harmonies. Eventually both groups work towards a climactic ending, in which the union of this popular melody and the harmony is finally achieved.
Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon
The title of this piece translates to "Oh People of My Country", with lyrics written by Kavi Pradeep and composed by Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar. It was initially written in response to the Sino-Indian War in 1962, and since, it was taken on a meaning as an unofficial anthem in India. The entire song is filled with poignant poetry carried by salient melodies. With the collaboration and direction with Indian singer, Shyamoli Sanghi, we were able to create this arrangement and perform it in Mumbai, India, and Udaipur, India.
Aye mere vatan ke logon,
Jara aankh me bhar lo paanee
jo shahid huye hain unakee,
Jara yaad karo kurbaanee
O! The people of my country,
Let tears come in your eyes
Remember the sacrifice of those who were martyred
More to be uploaded soon.
Please also reach out if you are interested in collaborating and/or in need of a vocal arrangement.