Composing their original music and combining their efforts into a singular work, Diamond Bar High School’s Performing Arts Academy Advanced Music Program president, Lucas O’Brien, made news on Jan. 6 when he reunited with alumni Bryan Chiu and Avery Li to record new music.
Using recording equipment and facilities in DBHS’ instrumental music building, they recorded “Three Pieces for Brass Trio,” a collaborative composition which explores an expansive range of ideas, colors, and moods through different perspectives.
The three of them originally premiered excerpts from the composition at the May 2023 Academy Recital, which the composers themselves presented. The movement is described in three parts: Li’s movement, “Three Points”, presents a series of excerpts from previous works, whereas O’Brien’s “Pillars” is more dream-like and contemplative. By contrast, Chiu’s “V-I-IV#” concludes the work with a rapid tempo and constant energy.
O’Brien had been friends with Chiu and Li since middle school when they discussed
music theory and compositions. Inspired by the fact that all three composed their own music, they devised the idea to co-compose a movement to perform together.
“More than that, I was writing music for my friends, and I think that inspired me more than anything else,” O’Brien said.
The three separately wrote their pieces, transcribing them to music notation software and printing them out as one.
“Bryan helped assemble the sheet music and we rehearsed together for the following months for the May 2023 Performing Arts Academy Recital,” O’Brien said. “It’s an especially fun feeling at the beginning of the process because you basically have the world at your hands.”
Chiu particularly emphasized his devotion to music, incorporating his musical know-how and his enthusiasm to refine and polish his work.
“At the time, I was interested in music focused on counterpoint, the idea of having music where each line is equally important and creating harmony through the interaction between said lines,” Chiu said.
In the process, they all especially admired the wide expanse of potential they had at their fingertips.
“I loved exploring the textures and sonorities that the instrumentation allowed for, utilizing the full range of pitch, volume, and timbre that every instrument offered,” Li said.
The three would commission Performing Arts Academy directors Aki Nishiguchi and Micheal Yoshimi to set up recording equipment to capture O’Brien, Li, and Chiu playing their masterpiece.
We had the time to record multiple takes of each movement and specific sections within them,” O’Brien said. “Eventually the video and audio will be spliced together into a full-length recording of “Three Pieces for Brass Trio” in its entirety.
The three do not currently have any plans or prospects with “Three Pieces for Brass Trio”, but express that they wish to continue composing original pieces.
“I most definitely plan to continue writing music; it’s something I truly love to do,” said O’Brien.
