DREAMS OF AN ARCHITECT

Composed 2022

Dedicated to my my brother and father, Elliot and Ferdinand

Duration: 5 1/2 minutes | Grade 4 Wind Ensemble

“Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I come from a pretty artistic family background. I have dreamt of working as an architect ever since I was a kid, taking painting, drawing, and architect/construction classes in primary and secondary school. My father Ferdinand majored in architecture in the Philippines but is also very passionate about the fine arts, making dozens of watercolor paintings and drawings. My brother Elliot majored in civil engineering at Virginia Tech, studying as an intern with many companies eventually working as a project engineer for theme park clients like Disney. Both my father and brother live in a different part of life that I wish I could experience more. This is why it was only fitting that I dedicated this piece to both of them.

The idea that a building could be built with such extravagance and grandeur continues to amaze me, which gave me this idea to compose Dreams of an Architect. Something that represents the wonders of engineering. Construction sites always draw us in, making us think about what is being built on the other side. Architecture at its finest is humanity’s most fascinating innovation creating new art in the form of structures and buildings every year. And even though I’ve settled into music composition as my form of art, architecture has and always will be in the back of my mind.