Zoom

This piece is written for the Pierre ensemble, featuring an actor in a comical portrayal of ridiculous experiences related to Zoom calls. The scene depicts a composer attempting to present a piece live through Zoom, but things quickly spiral out of control. Participants on the call unintentionally unmute themselves and create distractions, causing chaos. The situation worsens when a phone is dropped, leading to a laptop crash. The piece incorporates moments that represent the lagging and freezing effects of controlled music speed. Various sound effects, such as phone calls, lagging audio, and Zoom sound effects, are manually inserted into the piece. There is a clear distinction between the composer's music and my own. The composer's music utilizes twelve-tone and extended techniques, such as pressured bow and multiphonics. In contrast, my music takes motives from Zoom speaker test sound effects and reflects how the composer feels - sometimes nervous, delighted, and frustrated. The two styles intertwine throughout the piece, culminating in a climax when the laptop crashes. At this point, the composer's music reaches its peak, and my music takes over, creating a seamless transition to the conclusion. Text by SiHyun Uhm & Nia Akilah Robinson.