A living page
Currently on this page
Coming soon(ish, no promises)
- Musician (a quick introduction to my background, feelings toward music, and more good stuff)
- Free Improvisation (videos of free musical improvisation)
- Live Performances (videos of live performances)
Coming soon(ish, no promises)
- transcriptions, arrangements, compositions
- bandcamp + audio recordings
- potentially some short or long essays on music
Musician
I am more passionate about music than, perhaps, anything else. Being a pianist and a musician is a huge part of my identity.
A constant has always been piano. I studied classical piano with Nancy Jensen (Panel Chair of California's Certificate of Merit) as a child, Jeanne Kuo in my high school years, Louise Bidwell upon joining UC Berkeley’s piano program, and then Jeffrey Sykes toward the end. More recently I've studied jazz piano with Peter Horvath and Brazilian music with Marcos Silva.
Formative explorations (music major + beyond)
I've had a number of memorable experiences in music at UC Berkeley, including playing in a masterclass for Malcolm Martineau (the well-known collaborative pianist and winner of the Walther Gruner International Lieder Competition), performing solo and chamber piano in the much loved Hertz Hall noon concert series, co-hosting pre-concert talks for Yefim Bronfman and Malcolm Martineau/Miah Persson concerts with my peers in Pianism and Voice seminars. I still remember a group of us only having a croissant for dinner (because we were students, and the school removed the only affordable campus restaurant in the arts section of campus, leaving us only with Caffe Strada), and chatting excitedly before going on stage in front of a huge auditorium.
During my music major, I studied and performed chamber, piano vocal, and four-hand music, as well as a bit of jazz piano with Frank Martin, and vocal lessons via the choral scholarship. Some of my favorite courses were nu jazz and improvisation workshops, as well as the beginning combo I joined in UC Jazz where we did more "standard" stuff. Within my coursework, I studied everything from advanced harmony, to experimental music computing with CNMAT using computer vision, improvisation, musicology, and orchestral conducting. Through these studies, the constants were classical piano, improvisation, and theory, but also a desire to develop as a composer and arranger.
After my music major days, I continued briefly to perform (Western classical) chamber music in collaboration with the UCB chamber music program, as an alum, before taking a piano hiatus in 2019. Around 2020, I started exploring again via The Jazzschool in Berkeley, and started writing down my own music around the same time - which eventually led to playing at gigs and jazz jams in 2023, plus forming an all-women band in 2024.
Other roots (childhood + high school)
In my earlier days (late middle school and early high school), I played both solo & rhythm electric guitar as well as drums in a rock band, largely self-taught, but lack of access to a drum set prevented further development down this route. I now play acoustic guitar more as a hobbyist, and as a "once in a while when I feel like it"-ist for ukulele. People often ask me if I can sing. I have sung some trios and quintets in university choir, and sang a cappella music for two years in high school (our group closed out each concert, and actually did a number of paid gigs), always as a mezzo, although my range can extend to lower alto. I do like singing, but I have never felt it is my forte.
I absolutely love to learn how to play new instruments, and I do believe that once you learn one or two, the principles of the rest are essentially there (although the technique and years of deep connection may not be there). In the future, I'd love to learn the accordion, as well as develop my skills in playing the organ, and take voice lessons once more. There is a lot more I want to do with what I've already started, but more on that later..
What do I love?
I enjoy playing for, and with people. I especially enjoy playing with others and improvising purely for the fun of it, as well as trying out new ideas and sharing some of my taste and personality via jamming. I consider myself a quick sight reader (with classical music and with chord charts) who can hear what I am reading in my head, which helps in this regard. I love Ravel's piano works, and Chopin like any good pianist does. Impressionism had a large impact on me during my transition from playing student works to playing concert pieces, and for a long time, felt like the most natural era of music for my fingers to play, but I also take pleasure in playing more angular sounding works, as well as Bach.
Ever evolving: I love discovering entire areas of music that resonate with me, that spark curiosity, that make me want to go deeper, and especially realizing that this phenomenon never has to end. In the past few years, I've found myself drawn toward Brazilian music, something that I was a bit late to the game in (first hearing Aguas de Marco in college, and then slowly marinating in my interest until I found myself taking a classes in Brazilian guitar and Brazilian rhythms during the pandemic, bringing more popular tunes like Desafinado to my jazz trio when people were able to come together again, and eventually playing keys in a Brazilian combo at the Jazzschool in Berkeley).
I also love talking about music, alongside playing it, making a big joke of it and not taking anything at face value. People are too serious nowadays; what about how folks used to improvise to "prelude" before a piece, play music to transition between songs of different keys, and actually improvise their codas? I have tried such shenanigans at home, and in the Pianism seminar I mentioned above, though I admit, not yet in a high-pressure concert setting.
On a related note...
I love free improvisation, probably heavily influenced by Berkeley's avant garde approach to jazz (thanks Myra!). Shapes and ideas, colors and textures, the level of hyper focused deep connection with the instrument, and the use of voices are just as, if not more important to me, than the specific details harmony or music theory behind an improvisation. Most of the time, I improvise for myself, and whatever I have inside my body as thoughts or feelings manifest themselves in the music.
Some other areas I enjoy included orchestral conducting, something I discovered perhaps a bit late in my path (only in the last year in my program). Conducting Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun with our in-house mini orchestra was one of my most rewarding experiences.
I see genres mostly as a vehicle through which to communicate with others, but in general, find that creating and playing music with other people stems from openness and curiosity, which transcends genre.
Work History
I was the main pianist and organ player for Calvary Presbyterian for two and a half years (up until I began my full-time job as an engineer in October 2018), and continue to substitute on occasion when needed. This job required sight reading, improvisation, some know-how when it comes to church music, and a bit of a catalogue of hymnal songs in your head to help handle things like missing sheet pages of sheet music without letting the service skip too many beats.
I've taught private beginner piano lessons to two students, one a 6 year old (which I did pro bono as a volunteer through The Music Connection), and one a graduate Berkeley law student (I was not and do not actively seek students, but do consider teaching if I am referred to someone who specifically wants me to help a friend in their musical development, and I have the bandwidth).
I do occasional paid performance gigs (both in classical music and in jazz) and on a sillier note, I've also been a page turner for some chamber music concerts. I've also worked with peers as pianist and arranger on professional studio recordings for personal projects.
Due to the reality of the capitalistic landscape we live in, I hold a primary job in another field (software) although I never stop evolving and making music, including a music career, part of my current goals and future goals.
Where am I going from here?
I've been composing here and there in the past year or so (2021- onward), and have actually had some of my compositions played by others, but I am not ready yet to release them. I've been playing Brazilian music and jazz with others, dabbling more in chamber music (duos, trios) and doing free improvisation as always. I'm slowly compiling demos of the most potent of these compositions and improvisations, along with field recordings of ambient sounds that feel significant to me, and will let an album slowly take form organically.
Lately, I've also been transcribing and arranging music from my favorite artists - especially ones without much online, yet whose music inspires me, and of which I want to understand more (e.g. Esperanza Spalding). I've also been thinking, lately, more about the community aspect of music - band forming, jamming, attending classes, supporting local artists.
Chat with me if you're interested in knowing about some of my future plans, or checkout my youtube channel at explicitsound for more.
A constant has always been piano. I studied classical piano with Nancy Jensen (Panel Chair of California's Certificate of Merit) as a child, Jeanne Kuo in my high school years, Louise Bidwell upon joining UC Berkeley’s piano program, and then Jeffrey Sykes toward the end. More recently I've studied jazz piano with Peter Horvath and Brazilian music with Marcos Silva.
Formative explorations (music major + beyond)
I've had a number of memorable experiences in music at UC Berkeley, including playing in a masterclass for Malcolm Martineau (the well-known collaborative pianist and winner of the Walther Gruner International Lieder Competition), performing solo and chamber piano in the much loved Hertz Hall noon concert series, co-hosting pre-concert talks for Yefim Bronfman and Malcolm Martineau/Miah Persson concerts with my peers in Pianism and Voice seminars. I still remember a group of us only having a croissant for dinner (because we were students, and the school removed the only affordable campus restaurant in the arts section of campus, leaving us only with Caffe Strada), and chatting excitedly before going on stage in front of a huge auditorium.
During my music major, I studied and performed chamber, piano vocal, and four-hand music, as well as a bit of jazz piano with Frank Martin, and vocal lessons via the choral scholarship. Some of my favorite courses were nu jazz and improvisation workshops, as well as the beginning combo I joined in UC Jazz where we did more "standard" stuff. Within my coursework, I studied everything from advanced harmony, to experimental music computing with CNMAT using computer vision, improvisation, musicology, and orchestral conducting. Through these studies, the constants were classical piano, improvisation, and theory, but also a desire to develop as a composer and arranger.
After my music major days, I continued briefly to perform (Western classical) chamber music in collaboration with the UCB chamber music program, as an alum, before taking a piano hiatus in 2019. Around 2020, I started exploring again via The Jazzschool in Berkeley, and started writing down my own music around the same time - which eventually led to playing at gigs and jazz jams in 2023, plus forming an all-women band in 2024.
Other roots (childhood + high school)
In my earlier days (late middle school and early high school), I played both solo & rhythm electric guitar as well as drums in a rock band, largely self-taught, but lack of access to a drum set prevented further development down this route. I now play acoustic guitar more as a hobbyist, and as a "once in a while when I feel like it"-ist for ukulele. People often ask me if I can sing. I have sung some trios and quintets in university choir, and sang a cappella music for two years in high school (our group closed out each concert, and actually did a number of paid gigs), always as a mezzo, although my range can extend to lower alto. I do like singing, but I have never felt it is my forte.
I absolutely love to learn how to play new instruments, and I do believe that once you learn one or two, the principles of the rest are essentially there (although the technique and years of deep connection may not be there). In the future, I'd love to learn the accordion, as well as develop my skills in playing the organ, and take voice lessons once more. There is a lot more I want to do with what I've already started, but more on that later..
What do I love?
I enjoy playing for, and with people. I especially enjoy playing with others and improvising purely for the fun of it, as well as trying out new ideas and sharing some of my taste and personality via jamming. I consider myself a quick sight reader (with classical music and with chord charts) who can hear what I am reading in my head, which helps in this regard. I love Ravel's piano works, and Chopin like any good pianist does. Impressionism had a large impact on me during my transition from playing student works to playing concert pieces, and for a long time, felt like the most natural era of music for my fingers to play, but I also take pleasure in playing more angular sounding works, as well as Bach.
Ever evolving: I love discovering entire areas of music that resonate with me, that spark curiosity, that make me want to go deeper, and especially realizing that this phenomenon never has to end. In the past few years, I've found myself drawn toward Brazilian music, something that I was a bit late to the game in (first hearing Aguas de Marco in college, and then slowly marinating in my interest until I found myself taking a classes in Brazilian guitar and Brazilian rhythms during the pandemic, bringing more popular tunes like Desafinado to my jazz trio when people were able to come together again, and eventually playing keys in a Brazilian combo at the Jazzschool in Berkeley).
I also love talking about music, alongside playing it, making a big joke of it and not taking anything at face value. People are too serious nowadays; what about how folks used to improvise to "prelude" before a piece, play music to transition between songs of different keys, and actually improvise their codas? I have tried such shenanigans at home, and in the Pianism seminar I mentioned above, though I admit, not yet in a high-pressure concert setting.
On a related note...
I love free improvisation, probably heavily influenced by Berkeley's avant garde approach to jazz (thanks Myra!). Shapes and ideas, colors and textures, the level of hyper focused deep connection with the instrument, and the use of voices are just as, if not more important to me, than the specific details harmony or music theory behind an improvisation. Most of the time, I improvise for myself, and whatever I have inside my body as thoughts or feelings manifest themselves in the music.
Some other areas I enjoy included orchestral conducting, something I discovered perhaps a bit late in my path (only in the last year in my program). Conducting Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun with our in-house mini orchestra was one of my most rewarding experiences.
I see genres mostly as a vehicle through which to communicate with others, but in general, find that creating and playing music with other people stems from openness and curiosity, which transcends genre.
Work History
I was the main pianist and organ player for Calvary Presbyterian for two and a half years (up until I began my full-time job as an engineer in October 2018), and continue to substitute on occasion when needed. This job required sight reading, improvisation, some know-how when it comes to church music, and a bit of a catalogue of hymnal songs in your head to help handle things like missing sheet pages of sheet music without letting the service skip too many beats.
I've taught private beginner piano lessons to two students, one a 6 year old (which I did pro bono as a volunteer through The Music Connection), and one a graduate Berkeley law student (I was not and do not actively seek students, but do consider teaching if I am referred to someone who specifically wants me to help a friend in their musical development, and I have the bandwidth).
I do occasional paid performance gigs (both in classical music and in jazz) and on a sillier note, I've also been a page turner for some chamber music concerts. I've also worked with peers as pianist and arranger on professional studio recordings for personal projects.
Due to the reality of the capitalistic landscape we live in, I hold a primary job in another field (software) although I never stop evolving and making music, including a music career, part of my current goals and future goals.
Where am I going from here?
I've been composing here and there in the past year or so (2021- onward), and have actually had some of my compositions played by others, but I am not ready yet to release them. I've been playing Brazilian music and jazz with others, dabbling more in chamber music (duos, trios) and doing free improvisation as always. I'm slowly compiling demos of the most potent of these compositions and improvisations, along with field recordings of ambient sounds that feel significant to me, and will let an album slowly take form organically.
Lately, I've also been transcribing and arranging music from my favorite artists - especially ones without much online, yet whose music inspires me, and of which I want to understand more (e.g. Esperanza Spalding). I've also been thinking, lately, more about the community aspect of music - band forming, jamming, attending classes, supporting local artists.
Chat with me if you're interested in knowing about some of my future plans, or checkout my youtube channel at explicitsound for more.
Free Improvisation
After reading Big Magic, I resolved to take myself less seriously and approach music-making (and sharing) as play rather than some martyr-like activity infused only with passion and privacy.
Concretely, that means I'm sharing more of what I would normally keep private due to its lack of "polish", its rawness, and its dedication to exploring what I'm interested, whether beautiful, weird, filled with pauses, or symbolic in a way that may not seem as presentable.
Free improv is one of the purest ways to be in connection with your creativity, abandoning all rules except those you choose to adhere to, including those of harmony, consonance, wanting to sound traditionally good, or even choosing whether to use your instrument as it was designed to be used (e.g. extended techniques).
Or you may feel like keeping it to the soundscapes you feel most at home in- for me, that's often something akin to impressionism, jazz, nu jazz, bits and fragments of music that has influenced me, twisted, reimagined, played as though I was a child, as if I'm representing a cloud, techniques and words (building blocks) from my own invented lexicon- particular shapes or textures, etc. You can really do anything.
Concretely, that means I'm sharing more of what I would normally keep private due to its lack of "polish", its rawness, and its dedication to exploring what I'm interested, whether beautiful, weird, filled with pauses, or symbolic in a way that may not seem as presentable.
Free improv is one of the purest ways to be in connection with your creativity, abandoning all rules except those you choose to adhere to, including those of harmony, consonance, wanting to sound traditionally good, or even choosing whether to use your instrument as it was designed to be used (e.g. extended techniques).
Or you may feel like keeping it to the soundscapes you feel most at home in- for me, that's often something akin to impressionism, jazz, nu jazz, bits and fragments of music that has influenced me, twisted, reimagined, played as though I was a child, as if I'm representing a cloud, techniques and words (building blocks) from my own invented lexicon- particular shapes or textures, etc. You can really do anything.
Live Performances
Recordings of gigs out in the real world are sparse - I'm working on putting something together - but here are some videos of performances at the Jazzschool.
One of my first full (rhythm included, not just a chord chart) transcriptions and arrangements of a tune. June 2023.
Esperanza Spalding - 12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine)
Esperanza Spalding - 12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine)
An old favorite - Flamenco Sketches. March 2023.
I thought I'd push myself out of my comfort zone and play something that didn't sit naturally w/ me at the Jazzschool performance in Dec 2022.
My rendition of Very Early by Bill Evans at the Jazzschool (March 28, 2022) in Downtown Berkeley. We had a surprise bass player but he jumped in and did a great job on the fly. I always have thoughts about my soloing, and what I would have liked to do differently, but overall I don't mind this performance ;) and it's one of my favorite jazz tunes.
Frédéric Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G minor
Performed in the Elkus Room in Morrison Hall, Berkeley, CA in May 2018.
Performed in the Elkus Room in Morrison Hall, Berkeley, CA in May 2018.
Graceful Ghost Rag by William Bolcom
Performed by Kristin Ho, September 7, 2016 in the 63rd annual noon concert series in the beautiful Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA.
Performed by Kristin Ho, September 7, 2016 in the 63rd annual noon concert series in the beautiful Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA.
Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor - III. Passacaglia
Live April 24, 2019 in Hertz Concert Hall, noon concert series 66th season
Live April 24, 2019 in Hertz Concert Hall, noon concert series 66th season