Inspired by the natural water recycling process known as The Living Machine, Cleansing Watersis a musical realization of the way water is purified by filtering it through plants and bacteria. It was written in memory of Alex Chun, and dedicated to all those involved with The Living Machine at Oberlin College in Ohio. The watery music relies on waves of sound being produced by wind instruments and the piano. At first, soft dissonances suggest a slight muddiness to the water. But by the end, the process of cleansing the waters is completed by a serene resolution of the music.
People Gathering is an image of a busy colorful market, or a family reunion, or a religious ceremony. It takes place anywhere in the world, in any place that any person calls home. The people I visualize in this movement are related to all of us, are one family.
Open Plain depicts the stillness of a broad landscape, a calm beauty stretching to the horizon, and clouds always changing shape. It is a tribute to the magnificent places on our planet, places reflected by the awe and wonder in the eyes of every person speaking of his or her home.
Fire is inspired by the homely warmth of the living-room fireside, or the adventure of the summer campfire, or the frightening rage of a bush-fire. But most of all, it is a portrait of the fire within: the creative spirit that lifts all of us.
The idea of a litany is the religious repetition of a meaningful phrase, reaching a calm state of spiritual euphoria. In my composition, Litanies, I took a simple, beautiful tune, and subjected it to various repetitions and transformations, through changes of mood, instrumentation, harmony, and melodic direction. That single melody is heard as an idée fixe whether the atmosphere is calm, energetic, dramatic,or majestic.
A trip to Scotland, taking in its rugged landscape and deep sense of history, inspired these seven short films with piano accompaniment.
This is the second of my seven etudes, all of which are explorations of pianistic and compositional technique.  I recorded it at Steinway Hall in Cleveland on a beautiful model D. ​
I have always loved the music of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.  In celebration of his 150th birthday, I wrote a new piece called "Bells", which is inspired by the grand melody in his fifth symphony.  
Tears of Joy belongs to a set of preludes that create a fusion of compositional ideas with pedagogical principles; I based each piece on a particular concept of twentieth-century music. ​ This one uses the "split-third," which is a simultaneous sounding of major and minor triads, resulting in an eerie effect and a bittersweet feeling.