Sonoma State Music Alumna Published by JW Pepper
Representing Vietnamese Choral Music
A Sonoma State University alumna in music education has published an original Vietnamese choral composition, Về nghe mẹ ru, through F-Flat Books with national distribution on the JW Pepper website.
The work was completed during her undergraduate studies at Sonoma State and has since been performed at the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) Festival, the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Bay Section, and multiple high school and collegiate concerts across California.
The publication represents the outcome of original composition, orchestration, and cultural research undertaken while balancing academic coursework, ensemble performance, and teacher preparation.
The piece draws on Vietnamese folk songs and poetry commonly found in lullabies and integrates original musical material. It is scored for choir with solo voice, features layered harmonic writing, and incorporates wind chimes as a structural and timbral element.
The composer was responsible for all stages of the work, including text selection, melodic development, harmonic design, orchestration, and notation suitable for publication and performance by secondary and collegiate ensembles.
The composition was completed as a final project for an orchestration course and later revised for submission to a professional publisher. The process required navigating copyright restrictions from earlier arrangement work and shifting to fully original material under academic deadlines.
The project required applied skills in choral writing, orchestration, text setting, and rehearsal practicality, as well as the ability to adapt feedback from faculty, performers, and publishers.
The work also required engagement with Vietnamese musical traditions and translation of cultural source material into a format aligned with contemporary choral performance standards.
Following completion, the piece was submitted to F-Flat Books after professional feedback was received at the California All-State Music Education Conference (CASMEC). After acceptance, the publisher partnered with JW Pepper, expanding the work’s availability to music educators nationwide.
Since publication, Về nghe mẹ ru has been programmed by La Quinta High School and Maria Carrillo High School for festival and concert performances, placing the work into active instructional and performance use.
Faculty mentorship played a supporting role in the project’s development. Dr. Jenny Bent programmed the composer’s earlier arrangement for Sonoma State’s premiere vocal ensemble, SonoVoce, which led to further composition work. Dr. Brian Wilson provided instruction and ongoing consultation in orchestration and composition after identifying the student’s aptitude in a non-major pathway.
Dr. Bent noted, “Programming student work in ensemble settings gives composers direct feedback from real performers and audiences, which is essential for understanding how music functions beyond the page.”
The alumna holds a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Sonoma State University and earned a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Music (K–12) with English Learner Authorization at SSU. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Education at San José State University and completed her student teaching at Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa. Her mentors include Gail Bowers (Maria Carrillo High School), Dr. Brian S. Wilson (Sonoma State University), Dr. Jenny Bent (Sonoma State University), and Dr. Jeffrey Benson (San Jose State University).
In addition to Về nghe mẹ ru, she is currently completing a second choral publication with F-Flat Books titled Vùng đất hứa (The Promised Land). She is also composing a commissioned work for La Quinta High School, funded by the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) Choral Equity Grant in partnership with the school. Earlier in her undergraduate studies, her arrangement of Quê tôi, a Vietnamese folk song, was performed by American River College Concert Choir and Sonoma State’s SonoVoce.
The work remains in active circulation through educational performances, with future publications and commissioned compositions in progress.