Welcome to
Sunset Bird
Seagull blinking Seagull blink
April 2, 2023  •  8PM  •  Recital Studio
BM Composition Senior Recital  •  UT Austin

(Welcome to) Sunset Bird is a reflection on the “Studio Ghibli Tribute” concert series hosted by the Asian Memory Project, of which I was a part. Writing in the style of Joe Hisaishi took me back to the days when I watched anime, notably an anime composer Nomii Yuuji worked on called Nichijou. There is a particular characteristic to the soundtracks for Japanese animations - its quirkiness, familiarity, and comfort. Sunset Bird is my sincere attempt to create music in the spirit of these animations. It uses the same instrumentation as the “Studio Ghibli Tribute” concerts.

The suite represents a slice of life, or “a day in the life of...” kind of story. It is loosely based on the initial premise of the video game “Our Life: Beginnings and Always,” where a child has moved to a new coastal town called Sunset Bird (the origin of this suite’s title) and is attempting to settle in.

Performance Duration: approx. 50 min. (w/ intermission)

Seagulls
1. Seagulls
"Seagulls" introduces the small town and depicts the main character at the beach encountering some friendly people and some not-so-friendly animals.
A Stroll
2. A Stroll
"A Stroll" moves on to the interaction between the main character and their new acquaintance as they spend time at the beach.
Fireflies
3. Fireflies
“Fireflies" moves on to the night as the kids lay down beside the bonfire and look at the sky.
A Dance
4. A Dance
"A Dance" peeks into the main character's restless and imaginative mind as they begin to fall asleep.
A Dream
5. A Dream
"Dreams" goes into the more gloomy and uncomfortable memories that can occur during the night.
Intermission
Intermission (10 min.)
A short break before the second half.
Morning
6. Morning
"Morning" follows the main character's morning routine as they prepare for school.
Playground
7. Playground
"Playground" involves the main character getting picked on as they arrive at school.
Classroom
8. Classroom
"Class" depicts a moment of boredom as the main character passively listens to the teacher and doodles in their notebook.
A Letter
9. A Letter
"A Letter" presents a message (graciously delivered via paper airplane) from someone the main character starts to grow fond of.
Town
10. Town
"Town" concludes the suite with school ending and the main character going back into town to play with their newly-made friends.
Thank you for Coming.