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I previously wrote Part 1 to make space for subdued reflections about "social distancing." (I also recently wrote a more honest, passionate, and rather too personal post in my Facebook page...but I'll simply leave it there in that semi-private space). In this process, I find that repeatedly articulating an idea provides more refinement and clarity, [...]

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I started writing this post so many weeks ago, but I couldn't continue at that time. I stopped counting the days since everyone was forced to stay at home and practice social distancing. For some, this should be aptly named "physical distancing" and not "social distancing," but the latter has more profound implications for me [...]

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[I originally wrote this as a Facebook post yesterday.] Come to think of it, women educators have been very influential in my musical journey! Despite having completely different aesthetics from mine, composer Linda Catlin Smith provided provoking perspectives when I worked under her for the PIVOT Mentorship Program during 2017. As a result, I now consider Pangkur [...]

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In collaboration with the Canadian Music Centre, clarinettist Martin Carpentier and accordionist Joseph Petric commissioned me to write a new 6-minute work—I named the piece Kinamulátan—for bass clarinet and accordion. I've never composed for accordion before, and so Joseph handed me some introductory material he wrote himself. Surpassing the initial confusion over the keyboard layouts (including [...]

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I admit that being a composer is not enough for me. Sure, exploring sounds and making "cool" stuff is trendy nowadays. However, I'm not primarily interested in going with that flow. I also think of "cool" as problematic many times, with all its baggages of class privilege, positionality, hegemony, even capitalist machinations...in short, things that [...]

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The 3rd Golden Balangay Awards begins hours away as I write this post. Filipino-Canadians have established this award to recognize excellence and impact among the work of individual Filipinos throughout Canada. I've been shortlisted among other nominees for the Excellence Award in Music and Entertainment, and I traveled by train (encompassing 35 hours and thousands [...]

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Four weeks passed by in a blur of sweeping events and idyllic moments. Even upon waking up today, my senses are still jeopardized with how disorienting home is just as quick as how bodies and mindsets acclimate to new, temporary environments. Starting an artist residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts at [...]

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Typing at 1:50am felt like a chore, and I could have been enjoying the comforts of my bed now after a day of teaching. However, there is this sense of urgency that demands attention to document everything that will happen for the next 4 months. It is worth noting as well that three big things [...]