Music by Victoria Cheah and libretto by Victoria Cheah, inspired by a short film from the American Gas Association (1950)

Composer: Victoria Cheah

Libretto: Victoria Cheah, inspired by a short film from the American Gas Association (1950)

Duration: 15min

Instrumentation: 3 voices, bass cl, sax, perc, electronics

Commission: 2020

Status: COVID-19 Cancelled, Available for residency and world premiere.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Victoria Cheah (b. 1988, New York, NY) is a multi-disciplinary composer interested in boundaries, sustained energy, and social/performance rituals. Her work has been commissioned/presented by Line Upon Line, Han Chen, andPlay, Yarn/Wire, Wavefield Ensemble, MATA Festival, Guerilla Opera, Ensemble Dal Niente, Vertixe Sonora, Marilyn Nonken, Trio Okho, Transient Canvas, Trio de Kooning, PRISM Quartet, and performed by others. She has attended academies including Sommerakademie Schloss Solitude, Darmstadt, Fontainebleau, VIPA, SICPP, The Walden School, and others. Her teachers and mentors include David Rakowski, Eric Chasalow, Yu-Hui Chang, Steven Takasugi, Chaya Czernowin, Philippe Leroux, Shafer Mahoney, Shawn Crouch, as well as her students and colleagues. Her music can be found on Dinzu Artefacts, New Focus Recordings, and XAS Records.

Cheah holds a B.A. in music from City University of New York Hunter College & Macaulay Honors College and a Ph.D. in music composition & theory at Brandeis University. She has taught music, research, and writing related courses as an instructor at Longy School of Music, Brandeis University, and as a teaching fellow at Harvard University. From 2011-2015, Cheah served as the founding executive director of Sound Icon and has worked with new music organizations Manhattan Sinfonietta, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Composit, and others towards the realization of contemporary music events. She currently serves as Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music, Director of Operations of Talea Ensemble, a board member (former co-director) of Score Follower, and a bartender at Winnie’s. (Victoria Cheah)