(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.

ca. 40 min.
*individual movements may be performed separately