Emily Koh (1986)

Introduction
Emily Koh is a contemporary composer who works mainly out of Boston. Koh was born and raised in Singapore. Her music has been performed all over the world in places such as Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong. She is not only a composer but also a double bassist. Koh completed her bachelors at the '''National University of Singapore. After receiving this degree, she traveled to the United States to complete her Masters degree at the Peabody Institute, John Hopkins University.  ''' Ultimately, she has recently graduated with a Ph.D. for music composition and theory from Brandeis University. Emily Koh has written music for large ensembles, choral/chamber music, small ensembles, and solos, She also has teaching experience as a Teacher's Assistant at '''Harvard University, the National University of Singapore, and John Hopkins University. '''Currently, Koh is composing while also serving as the co-artistic director of the Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble which performs contemporary music. She also teaches at Harvard, Brandeis University, and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts.

Works
\very/ specifically vague (2017) was performed on May 29th at the Alba Music Festival. Below, other important works are listed:

- bridging:isolation (2013)

-diverse[city] (2015)

-cycrotations (2012)

Comparisons
Emily Koh's piece \very specifically vague/ uses elements of dissonance, rhythms that feel almost randomized, and large dynamic changes. In comparison, her piece kilobyte (2014) makes a larger use of silence. This could possibly be because the piece is written for a solo instrument vs a duo such as in the piece played in the Alba music festival. However, most of Emily Koh's pieces use very similar elements in new and varying ways which makes her a very unique composer.

Observations
Emily Koh's work has a unique and chaotic feel. Her piece in the Alba Music Festival used abrupt dynamic changes and complex rhythm to leave the audience wondering what would happen next. Her other pieces, such as bridging:isolation use dissonance to create an eerie sound. Overall, Koh's work capsizes on silence and how powerful it can be. Her pieces are very interesting because of the way they are structured and played.