Inscrutable by Huan Sun | UGA New Music Festival 2026

Описание: Performed at the Dancz Center for New Music on February 14th, 2026.

Daniel Johnson, bassoon

Inspired by David Spriggs’s Gravity installation series, Inscrutable (2024)
explores the relationship between elemental components and emergent
structures. Rooted in Gestalt theory, Spriggs’s layered, rotating forms create a sense of depth and cohesion through the overlap of transparent planes. This visual experience serves as the conceptual foundation of the piece. Translating these ideas into sound, Inscrutable examines the dynamic interplay between bassoon and electronics. The bassoon’s wide expressive range intertwines with electronic textures to form a shifting sonic space in which individual gestures combine into larger patterns. Through this interaction, the work evokes a sense of mystery and perceptual depth, reflecting the complexity and ambiguity inherent in its visual inspiration.

Huan Sun is a Chinese contemporary composer whose music bridges
Chinese cultural traditions with bold contemporary expression. Inspired by visual art, installations, and literature, her works create vivid sonic narratives that explore identity, contrast, and cultural dialogue. Her music has been presented at major venues and festivals including the Ravinia Breaking Barriers Festival, SEAMUS National Conference, IRCAM’s CIEE Summer Program, and Atlantic Music Festival. She is a recipient of first prize at the 9th Yanhuang Composition Competition and a finalist for the 2024 SEAMUS/ASCAP Award and the 2025 ARTZenter Institute Emerging Composer Completion Grant Program. Huan Sun holds degrees from the Central Conservatory of Music and Mannes School of Music and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in composition at Indiana University Bloomington.

Huan Sun on YouTube:    / @huansun9255  

Daniel Johnson is a third-year bassoon performance and music theory major from Acworth, Georgia currently studying with Dr. Amy Pollard. He has performed with multiple ensembles, including the University of Georgia
Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Redcoat Band, and University Choir.
Outside of the university, he has worked with public schools in Cobb County
as a clinician, and has freelanced in Milledgeville, GA and Anderson, SC. He also enjoys playing in chamber music, and is currently a member of a wind quintet as well as the UGA Recorder Consort. In his free time, Daniel enjoys playing video games, reading, and drawing.