I composed 花卉組曲 (Suite for a Perennial Garden) as part of an independent project to learn about and write for Chinese instruments, funded by a Major Grant from Stanford University, that I undertook in Taiwan over the summer of 2023. During my stay in Taiwan, I studied with Professor Ching-Wen Chao, Associate Professor of Composition at National Taiwan Normal University, who offered me a diversity of opportunities to learn from and work with players of various Chinese and Western instruments. Born out of my collaboration with these musicians, 花卉組曲 (Suite for a Perennial Garden) was inspired by the tradition of bird-and-flower painting and the fruits of that tradition that I witnessed in Taiwan.

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As an American-born child of Chinese immigrants, I grew up in a household in which we cherished the Chinese traditions that still remained with us in postcolonial America. 花卉組曲 (Suite for a Perennial Garden) is my attempt to connect with these traditions, the musical influences of my childhood, and the Chinese-American community of which I am a part.