Concert is cancelled in Hong Kong, two weeks before the performance, almost two months after paying for the air ticket. It is perfectly fine if a concert has to be cancelled due to varies reasons (better be real good reasons), but the fact that the director did not intend to inform me about the cancellation, until I happened to ask him about the concert, on Facebook. Seriously, this is not even a professional vs. amateur issue; this is about responsibility. Should I have signed a contract before I decided to attend the performance? I guess a paper is more trust-able than a person, which is sad. This person calls himself a professional musician and a teacher, which is even more sad---way to corrupt an entire generation of musician. Teachers should really learn about moral issues before they are allowed to teach, especially, young kids.

I never learned about fraud in school---way to spend an international air ticket to learn just that. Worth it?

Had three concerts in four days! It was a lot, but hey, can't complain! My music is being played! What could be better than that? (don't know if it's ever gonna happen again---I mean, three concerts in four days!)

The symposium at Connecticut College was a great experience. I met many musicians/artists, and made me feel that, we are all in this TOGETHER! Daniel was a great performer. It was a somewhat different interpretation, and that's what's fantastic about live performances! There was a slight feedback issue towards the middle of the piece because of how the speakers were placed (sorta weird position...), but everything else went well. And, a new commission for piccolo violin!

Wish I had time to drive to Boston or New York City... Oh well. Stay at airport for the whole night just to save this one night's hotel fee, worth it?

I have been quite busy, not composing, but patching with Max/MSP, just exploring different ways to route my signals and building instruments/effect modules. The results are couple patches that I can well use in the future, and I also generated a fixed media piece (Stargaze) with them.

I am expecting to write one new fixed media and two new interactive electroacoustic pieces with these patches. I will continue the Katachi series, and start a new series called ALEA.

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And, having come back from the UAHuntsville New Music Festival this weekend, I feel fresh and inspired. It was a nice event with seven concerts and over 40 guest composers. Duo for Two Flutists (2008) was performed.

After deciding to attend UMKC instead of the other school, I am so released now. I feel so much more settled down. Today was the premiere of my thesis - Apparitions - a fantasy for chamber ensemble (2010-11). It went very well--I now have a good recording thanks for Conrad Chu (conductor) and the fabulous players from BG. This piece is so different from my earlier compositions.

And, right now I have been looking to acquire a car so that I can travel to my new school.

Had such a great experience at GAMMA-UT this weekend, and met so many fantastic musicians from around the country. The paper sessions as well as the concert were all great--I have so much to digest now--good stuff, of course. The Bel Cuore Quartet's performance was amazing. I think I'm the happiest composer in the world.

Zeitgeist was amazing. They are very professional, and are certainly enjoyable to work with. They presented four pieces tonight with such musicianship and high degree of ensemble playing! It is very exciting to hear active contemporary music playing outside of school!

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The storm (thunder and rain and snow) was getting really bad on my way back to the motel, hope that it'll clear up by tomorrow!

I am on the road again! I am really looking forwards to Zeitgeist's and Bel Cuore Quartet's performances this week! I'm staying at a motel now, and am about 180 miles away from Zeitgeist's Studio Z. I just received Bel Cuore Quartet's reading on my Saxophone Quartet (2009), and it was fantastic! Life is obviously treating me very well at this moment, except that my homework and project loads might kill me when I get back.

There was this classic music technology panic tonight at the performance of my Awakening for trombone and live electronics (2010). Well, first of all, the freeverb~ object was not recognized at all. Then, there was this long sustained tone that wasn't supposed to be there. I was so glad that after two cues of events, it cut off... but nonetheless, I don't think anyone noticed, and that sustained tone actually fit the context. I was so afraid that it wouldn't cut off - in that case, I would have to "X" kill it... Anyways, it was a great concert, with the great trombonist - Kevin Fairbairn!

Having been so inspired, I just finished an electroacoustic piece: Katachi I for fixed media (2011). I have been processing these sounds, and now I finally get to use them! Guess what sounds I used? (Program notes will be posted soon!)

March has been absolutely exhausting and relaxing at the same time. My spring break was great--I stayed home and didn't do much. I did start my new piece though (more details to come later). My thesis is totally done. Now, I am still waiting for schools--I was accepted by UNT few days ago.

So many travels are ahead of me: Zeitgeist performance (which I just found out), the long waited GAMMA-UT and visiting UMKC...

We went on a school trip to the Akron Symphony yesterday. It was a 2 1/2 hours drive to Akron, south of Cleveland. We saw Jennifer Higdon, and I was delighted that she remembered me from the masterclass. The orchestra played a wonderful program that included only works from the 20th-21st centuries. It's great that I finally get to see Jennifer Higdon's On a Wire live--what a compelling piece of music.