I: The Void

II: The Splintering of Light 

III: The Eruption of Colour

ʻRefraction, Reflectionʼ is a musical imagining of the process of light being refracted through a prism (white light is bent and separates into different wavelengths, forming a rainbow). The first movement, ʻThe Voidʼ explores a prism sitting in a space devoid of light. The second movement, ʻThe Splintering of Lightʼ, describes the chaotic journey of a beam of light as it travels through the prism and is refracted. An angular, rhythmic bass line drives this section, punctuated by dissonant interjections from the rest of the ensemble. ʻThe Explosion of Colourʼ highlights the dazzling array of rainbow colour as the light exits the prism, completely transformed.

Premiered by the Australian Youth Orchestra tutour ensemble conducted by Stefan Cassomenos. Elder Hall, January 2025.

When I was younger, my parents gave me a book called Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe by Robin Kerrod. The book contains stunning, vivid, images from the Hubble space telescope, with accompanying commentary. I was always particularly fascinated by a double page spread of a nearby galaxy called Centaurus A, which is apparently one of the brightest galaxies in our sky, and the closest active galaxy to Earth. To further its relevance to us, the galaxy was discovered by Sydneysider James Dunlop!

In this piece, named after the galaxy, I tried to capture the feelings that arise within me when I look at the image. It’s difficult to articulate these feelings, though I’m sure we’ve all experienced them when looking at boundless and ancient parts of our universe like the sky or the sea. There is an overarching sense of wonder as I question how something so vast and beautiful could possibly exist. Alongside this wonder is also a feeling that is more difficult to describe- a sort of loneliness.

Much of the harmony was derived from a twelve-tone row, which was not strictly adhered to but was instead used as a framework for generating harmonic material which I would freely develop. The row is heavily quartal, which reflects the ambiguity and expansiveness of space. The lush extension chords communicate the rich beauty of the night sky.

I drew on a variety of styles and textures within the piece. The chorale-like textures in the brass convey the majesty of space. The middle section utilises the drive, interlocking rhythms and cyclical harmony of minimalism, and this reflects my excitement at the notion of something as incredibly beautiful as a galaxy existing in our sky. The woodwind solos aim to capture those feelings of loneliness and fragility that we as humans feel when we look up at something infinitely larger than ourselves.

Premiered by the Penrith symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Terracini. Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, March 2026.

River’s Edge is the first instalment of a series of short pieces about being lost in thought while bushwalking. River’s Edge reflects on the feeling of standing on the bank of a river and becoming completely engrossed in the hypnotic flow of the water. A twelve-tone row was used as a framework for generating harmonic material, which I freely developed. The result is a piece that isn’t serial but has intervallic consistency throughout.

Premiered by the Adriel Sukumar. Dialogues and Monolgues concert, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, April 2025.

I: A View of the City

II: Flying Fish

A Peculiar Place is an interpretation of an illustration by Australian writer and artist, Shaun Tan. The illustration fuses a grimy, bustling urban cityscape with dream-like surrealist elements. This piece aims to capture the juxtaposition in the image through two movements. The first movement aims to capture the eccentricity of the urban environment. The second aims to capture the magic and dynamism of a school of flying fish soaring over the city. 

Premiered by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellows conducted by Roger Benedict. Inaugural Sydney Conservatorium Winter School in Composition. Verbrugghen Hall, July 2024.

Evening Conversations is an amalgamation of concepts from jazz- fusion, progressive rock, and contemporary classical music. The piece focuses on the interplay of various rhythms and aims to capture the feeling of ‘simmering excitement’.  

‘Rush Hour’ depicts the dichotomy between the chaos and the beauty that exists within the morning rush hour of Sydney’s CBD as the city comes to life. Each morning the CBD is flooded with tourists narrowly dodging light rails on George Street, commuters cursing at buses pulling out of curbs just a moment too soon, frantic last-minute work calls made on delayed trains, and the blaring of horns at bustling intersections. However, it is easy to forget that there is beauty within this chaos: a golden glimmer of early morning sunlight leaking through the trees at Hyde Park, children murmuring excitedly on the bus about the school day ahead, and an intricate web of stories and experiences as thousands of lives messily intersect at this one place and moment in time.

I: The Sailors’ Argument 

II: Transformation 

III: Rolling Seas

The Dionysus Cup is the modern name of an Ancient Greek kylix painted by Exekias. The inside of the cup depicts a scene from the myth of Acoetes and the god Dionysus, which is told in its full form in Ovid's Metamorphoses. In this myth, a group of sailors kidnap a boy from the island of Naxos. The ship’s captain, Acoetes, recognises the boy as the god Dionysus, and tries unsuccessfully to persuade his crewmates to return the boy. This argument is depicted in movement I, The Sailors’ Argument. The crewmates promise to return the boy but do not keep their word. Following this, grape vines begin to entwine the ship, and the boy reveals his true form as the god Dionysus. This transformation is represented in movement II, Transformation. As punishment to the sailors who did not keep their word, Dionysus turns the men into dolphins. The motion of these dolphins gliding through the open seas is depicted in movement III, Rolling Seas.

Premiered at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in student composition showcase, 2023.

Recorded by the Queensland Wind Orchestra conducted by David Law as part of the Australian Women’s Wind Band competition 2022.

A short jazz-influenced piano piece with a nostalgic feel.