birdfrog (2024) marimba trio · 4 minutes · intermediate+
birdfrog was written for Brandon Berlanga, Anthony Kain Cantu and Edric Salazar as part of the Austin Percussion Collective, and premiered on July 9th, 2024 at Studio A in Austin, TX.
To purchase the score, send me an email at sebastian.zhang.music@gmail.com with the subject "birdfrog score".
If you wander Austin late at night, you will often hear a quiet, subtle chirping emanate from tall grass. It sounds like baby birds, and it's always been in the background ever since I moved here.
Sometimes I'd look for these "birds", but I could never find anything. It was odd to me. Maybe it was mice?
I kept searching, until one day I finally found what was chirping. Tiny frogs, woven within the grass, each the size of a U.S. quarter. Singing away, late at night.
When I first moved to Austin and started my undergrad, I made a few friends in the percussion studio. They were older than me, so they graduated and went off to do their own projects, while I continued my undergrad.
From afar, I have watched them do so many wonderful things and musical pursuits of their own. I grateful to have shared memories with you all, even if only for a short while.
This piece was written for you. Thank you.
Musically, birdfrog draws upon math rock, gentle acoustic covers of rock music, and minimalism.