RAM to Present World Premieres of New Music at Tenri Cultural Institute

Random Access Music (RAM), under Artistic Director Thomas Piercy, will present a concert of new music on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Tenri Cultural Institute.

The evening features the world premiere of guest composer Theodore Wiprud's Hichiriki Quartet, 'Apparitions,' for hichiriki, violin, viola, and cello. The work was commissioned by Piercy and RAM.

Piercy will perform on hichiriki, the small Japanese double-reed instrument traditionally used in gagaku court music, alongside violinist Laurel Gagnon, violist Jay Julio, and cellist Daniel Hass.

Wiprud, who has studied Korean gugak instruments such as the piri, describes the piece as the product of Piercy's advocacy for the hichiriki in contemporary Western music. The title Apparitions reflects the unusual sound worlds the instrument led him into.
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The program also includes three more world premieres by RAM composers:

Corey Chang, Scattered Pearls, for violin, cello, and piano
Gilbert Galindo, (amor) después de la tormenta, for flute and piano
Allen Schulz, Shattered Crystals, for flute and piano

Also on the program:

Andrea Casarrubios (guest composer), luzAzul, for clarinet, cello, and piano (2016/2025)
Daniel Hass, Tracing the Figures of Love, for clarinet, cello, and piano (2023)
Zhihua Hu, Ruyi Niang, for piano, inspired by Empress Wu's poem of the same name (2022)
Beata Moon, Elegy, for viola and piano (2021), written in honor of those who died during the pandemic