SUPERHUMAN for PERCUSSION, STRING QUARTET, AND VIDEO
PROGRAM NOTES
Superhuman is a multi-movement quintet for strings and percussion that strives to realize impossible acoustic music through video. To achieve this, I filmed thousands of clips of the five musicians performing in many carefully curated spatial/light setups, which are designed to create and highlight motion within the camera frame. The resulting video glitches through samples at speed, traversing many playing techniques and instrument arrangements that are not possible to execute in real time. This is the impossible acoustic music—music that explores the inhuman bounds of digital technology, while also preserving the physicality, expression, and nuance of live musicians. In concert, the musicians perform live alongside their digital selves. Each movement explores different visual setups and musical structures.
Composition Details
Commissioned by the Guggenheim Foundation. Completed in 2026 and premiered by Ji Hye Jung and the Bergamot Quartet on March 1st, 2026 at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh, PA.
Instrumentation
Percussion, String Quartet, and Video
- Percussion (amplified)
- Bongos, Snare Drum, 23” Timpani, Kick Drum (mounted upright on legs)
- Vibraphone (3-octave)
- Kenari Shells, Caxixi, Small Metal Chain, Ankle Bells, Glass
- Harmonicas (in G, A, Bb, C, D, F)
- Trap table, 3 towels (for muting)
- timbale sticks, rutes, medium yarn mallets, brushes, superball mallet, bow
- Synth (49-key MIDI controller)
- String Quartet (amplified)
- Violin I
- Violin II
- Viola, doubling on synth (37-key MIDI controller)
- Cello, doubling on synth (37-key MIDI controller)
- Video (projected with stereo audio)
Duration
~30 minutes
PREVIEW
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