Iris and Butterfly

(2002/2024)   |   5 minutes

Commissioned by Tanglewood Music Center

Scoring A (2002) SATB and string quartet

Scoring B (2024) SSAA and piano

Premiere 28 July 2002, at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, MA, by Tanglewood Festival Chorus and New Fromm Players, conducted by Steven Mackey.

SAMPLE PAGE (Scoring A)
SAMPLE PAGE (Scoring B)

PURCHASE MUSIC
Scoring A: Hardcopy
 |  PDF
Scoring B: Hardcopy  |  PDF

Programme Note

Iris and Butterfly was written for a small mixed chorus and string quartet. The text is composed of isolated syllables and Solfège sounds, without specific meanings. I wrote it at the close of a memorable summer as a composition fellow at Tanglewood. The music carries a lighthearted mood, with a touch of sentimentality toward the end.
©Zhou Tian