TE DEUM

TE DEUM was generously commissioned by the Curtis Institute of Music during the Covid pandemic. As we grappled with uncertainty and loss, both the best and worst in all of us were revealed. Many of us endured the pain of losing loved ones, while others faced unseen struggles, consumed by pressures more insidious than the virus itself. Amidst this adversity, I found solace in holding onto my most cherished beliefs with renewed vigor. I resolved to give even more thanks for the blessings in my life and to cherish the loved ones who bring beauty and steadfastness to my world, regardless of the chaos that surrounds us. At its heart, like the original hymn in which the first words are, “We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord”, TE DEUM is an introspective, personal prayer and hymn of praise, thanksgiving, and awe in solitude. I have used one of my mother’s favorite hymns, Great is Thy Faithfulness, as the vessel through which the conviction “I believe” is expressed, and the nucleus from which all of the music emerges.

TE DEUM is an ode to the innocence, simplicity, and most importantly, sincerity of a time lost. It is a prayer that longs for a place in which artless beauty and unadorned truth are celebrated without pretension and the cynical sophistication of a bitter age - a time of youth! I honor my talented colleagues at the Curtis Institute of Music, and to all who hold dearly to the wellspring of youth within their hearts. The essence of our collective connection with art, music, and the divine hinges on our ability to recapture what it was like to know nothing, to be a blank canvas, and to be genuinely

fascinated, like a child, with the mysteries of simple miracles such as illumination. I celebrate the boundless wonders and magnificence of this radiance in TE DEUM.

TE DEUM was commissioned by the Curtis Institute of Music and premiered by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra on

March 9, 2024, at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Robert Spano conducting. It is dedicated to my lovely wife, Jiwon Suh, who I

married while composing this work, and who, in embodying the radiance I wanted to celebrate in this work, made it possible. You

have enlightened my heart to understand the purpose of this work, and indeed all the music we will make together - my cup overflows.