title

keep it.

year of composition

2025

duration

6′

commissioned

by the remus georgescu international music festival

instrumentation

brass:2.2.2.1-perc:slap／gui／3cwbl／3wblk／sd／td／ltom／crt／scym

performances

• october 25, 2025 | timișoara, romania

filarmonica banatul timișoara

program note

Today, democracy stands on uncertain ground. Yet it has survived again and again through the voices of citizens, the strength of institutions, and a stubborn will. Sometimes it returns quietly, barely noticed, and at other times it rises with force and clarity. This piece will be premiered in Timișoara, where the Romanian Revolution began. As a Korean, I recall my country’s recent crisis and the difficult path of restoring democratic order. These experiences are connected across the world. Whenever democracy falters, I believe it can still be defended and rebuilt. This piece is both a tribute to such victories and a reminder of their fragility—how quickly they can vanish, and how urgently they must be kept.