cetacean songs (2023)

Whalesong is remarkably sophisticated. Its patterns of repetition and variation mirror structures found in human music; its geographical diversity suggests distinct, yet overlapping, dialects and cultures; it exhibits hallmarks of language, including grammar and syntax––we just don’t understand what whales are saying (yet).

cetacean songs is a meditation on the complex beauty of marine mammal vocalisations, and in extension, a meditation on how vast our oceans are, and how little we know about these underwater worlds and their inhabitants.

Performances:

2/2025: Appleton, WI
Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra
Eduard Teregulov, cello
Sam Wu, conductor

3/2024: Houston, TX
Shepherd School of Music students
Dana Rath, cello
Sam Wu, conductor

11/2023: Hobart, Australia
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Martin Penicka, cello
Luke Dollman, conductor