Featured Works
Orchestral: 10+ players
Piece for
full orchestra. Coming soon.
Chamber: 3-9 players
Poem for the Forgotten: In the Shadows of the Golden City of Hope for string quartet (2026) Ca. 10’
I was inspired to compose Poem for the Forgotten in dedication to struggling community members who, despite great efforts to overcome obstacles, cannot secure housing or meet their basic needs. I was saddened by the juxtaposition of people in need against an affluent, fast-paced, city. Poem for the Forgotten was premiered by the Dolphins Quartet at the Juilliard School on May 17th, 2026 as part of their Young Composers Program. Thank you Dolphins Quartet for workshopping my piece and for the incredibly moving and virtuosic performances. To learn more about the Dolphins and hear their amazing music: https://thedolphinsquartet.com/. Video and score below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Sleepy Hollow Twilight for piano trio (vln, vc, piano)
(2026) Ca. 4.30’
Sleepy Hollow Twilight was inspired by the town Sleepy Hollow in New York where Washington Irving set his famous Headless Horseman tale. Sleepy Hollow Twilight was performed by the Frahm-Lewis Trio on April 18th, 2026 with Mannes Prep at the Stiefel Hall at Mannes College of Music in NYC. Thank you to the Frahm-Lewis Trio for your incredible performance, which expertly and artistically captured the eerie mood and playfulness of my piece. Thank you to the composer Steven Christopher Sacco and Mannes Prep. Video and score below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
The Village: A Rhapsody on a Hungarian Theme: "Béreslegény, Jól Megrakd a Szekeret” for Clarinet in B Flat, Cello, Percussion (Triangle, Woodblock, Timpani, Vibraphone), and Piano (2025) Ca. 7’
The Village: A Rhapsody on a Hungarian Theme: "Béreslegény, Jól Megrakd a Szekeret” is inspired by Hungarian Music and Bartok’s early work. The piece incorporates the traditional Hungarian folk song "Béreslegény, Jól Megrakd a Szekeret.” This piece was premiered at the International Summer Academy and Music Festival (ISAM) Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen, Germany on August 7th, 2025 with Kliment Krylovskiy on clarinet, Umberto Pedtraglio on violoncello, Lucas Gerin on percussion, and Dmytros Semykras on piano. Thank you to Ofer Ben-Amots, Jan Jirasek, Siegfried Weishaupt, the performers, and everyone at ISAM for a powerful performance! Video and score below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Grand Canyon Visions: Sacred Paths Through Storied Nature for Chamber Nonet: flute, horn, 2 vln., 2 vla, 2 vc, 1 db. (2026) Ca. 8 minutes
Grand Canyon Visions: Sacred Paths Through Storied Nature is a tribute to the majestic beauty and awe-inspiring vastness of the Grand Canyon. It is also dedicated to the eleven nations of indigenous peoples, who today continue to uphold their ancient traditions and way of life in the region, including their reverence for the sacredness of the Grand Canyon. My hope is for the preservation and conservation of the 447 known species of birds, 91 species of mammals, 48 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, countless varieties of trees, shrubs, cacti, wildflowers, butterflies and other insects that call the Grand Canyon home or rely upon it and the surrounding region for their survival. My hope is that the indigenous peoples of the area can continue their way of life, as their ancient cultures have for thousands of years, in harmony with this amazing gift of nature we call the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon Visions was workshopped and read by the 2026 Charles Ives Music Festival (CIMF) professional chamber ensemble conducted by Jacob Joyce. Thank you Paul Frucht, Jon Cziner, Laurie Kenagy, Jacob Joyce, and to the performers and everyone at CIMF for a fantastic reading. Thank you to my teacher Steven Christopher Sacco. Midi rendition of the audio and score below. (Note: this is not the recording of the reading, per CIMF policy.) Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Journey to Danbury: A Childhood Fantasy, Dreams of a Danburite Dig was inspired by the music of Charles Ives and my childhood fascination with finding, collecting, and learning everything possible about rocks and minerals, including the collector’s prize Danburite.
Danburite, a rare, highly durable, calcium boron silicate mineral, used as a highly-sought-after, specialty gemstone due to its brilliant and glassy luster that rivals topaz, was discovered in 1839 by Charles Upham Shepherd in Danbury, Connecticut. Danburite, that has been mined from Danbury, is exceedingly rare because the city of Danbury built over the originally-found deposit of it. Modern pieces are sourced today from locations such as Mexico, Myanmar, and New York. Finding a piece of Danburite from Danbury is a collector’s dream-come-true.
My personal Journey to Danbury began when I was five years old, when I became enamored with rocks and minerals. I am continually fascinated by how minerals are formed, their unusual structures, their beautiful or strange qualities that seem like nature’s art, which for me parallels the uniqueness of music. Journey to Danbury aims to encompass the child-like joy of mining and incorporates sounds of digging, mining, and playing.
With gratitude for their encouragement of young musicians and composers, Journey to Danbury is dedicated to the Charles Ives Music Festival and the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra, for whom it was written. Journey to Danbury was performed by the 2026 Charles Ives Music Festival (CIMF) percussion ensemble: Russell Fisher, Nadia Martinez, Bella Piccirillo, Matthew Robinson. Thank you to Russell Fisher, Nadia Martinez, Bella Piccirillo, Matthew Robinson, Paul Frucht, Jon Cziner, Laurie Kenagy, and everyone at CIMF for a fantastic performance. Thank you to my teacher Steven Christopher Sacco. Midi rendition of the audio and score below. (Note: this is not the recording of the performance, per CIMF policy.) Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Journey to Danbury A Childhood Fantasy, Dreams of a Danburite Dig for percussion quartet (full instrumentation on score) (2026) Ca. 6 minutes
Hudson River Remembrance: Three Dances (1. Autumn Light: Village by The River (5:00'), 2. Winter Dawn to Dusk: A Crystal World (7:00'), 3. Of Riverside Parks: Summer and Spring (4:00')) for flute, clarinet in B flat, violin, cello, and piano (2025) Ca. 16’
"In the midst of winter, I found, within me, an invincible summer."
Albert Camus, "Return to Tipasa"
Inspired by the beauty of nature and my memories of living in a Hudson rivertown of New York, each movement of Hudson River Remembrance represents a specific time of year, as a stream-of-consciousness creation associated with the feelings of my early childhood.
Movement 1 was read by Mannes School of Music (college) students and faculty on January 10th, 2025. Thank you to the performers for a great reading! Thank you to the composer Steven Christopher Sacco and Mannes Prep.
Midi rendition of the full 3 movements, the reading of the first, and the score below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Vocal
Spring in War-Time, a setting of a poem of the same title by Sara Teasdale for SATB chorus with piano (2026) Ca. 5 minutes
Spring in War-Time is a setting of a poem of the same title by Sara Teasdale, on the human cost of war. Spring in War-Time was premiered by the Harmonium Choral Society and won first place in their 2026 student choral composition competition. The piece was performed as part of Harmonium’s Ride the Storm concert series on June 6 and 7. Thank you Harmonium Choral Society for two wonderful performances that beautifully captured the emotion and importance of Sara Teasdale’s timeless words. To learn more about Harmonium Choral Society and hear their amazing performances, here is the link to their site: https://www.harmonium.org/. Video and score below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Solo/Duo
The Infinite Threshold: A Piece Inspired by Szelit Cheung’s Edge V for solo piano (2026) Ca. 6’
The Infinite Threshold: A Piece Inspired by Edge V by Szelit Cheung was inspired by the artwork of Melbourne and Hong Kong-based contemporary artist, Szelit Cheung. I performed The Infinite Threshold at the Fou Gallery in NYC on April 25, 2026 at a retrospective of Cheung’s work, entitled Flat (2026). I chose one of the defining works of the exhibition, Edge V, to serve as inspiration due to its mysterious symbolism of a simultaneously partially-open and partially-closed door. Thank you to the Fou Gallery, Szelit Cheung, the composer Meng Wang, and Mannes Prep. My performance of the piece at a studio below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Anxiety: A Piece Inspired by Rashid Johnson’s Untitled Anxious Audience for solo piano (2026) Ca. 5’
Winner of a 2026 Musical Life Foundation Composer-in-Residence Award
Theodore Tavi Hein premiered Anxiety on November 23, 2025 at the Guggenheim Museum.
I composed Anxiety: A Piece Inspired by Rashid Johnson's Untitled Anxious Audience in gratitude to and admiration of the work of the American artist Rashid Johnson. Rashid Johnson's retrospective Rashid Johnson: A Poem For Deep Thinkers, the featured Guggenheim exhibition of 2025, incorporated a piano and a performance stage. I was extremely fortunate to be able to experience Johnson's retrospective in-person and also to "activate his art installation" by performing Anxiety on the piano within Sanguine, Rashid Johnson’s installation artwork, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. It was a very moving and important experience for me as a young person and composer.
In gratitude and dedication to the artist Rashid Johnson and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. Thank you also to the composer Meng Wang, Tatjana Rankovich and Mannes Prep, the preparatory division of Mannes College of Music, NYC. Theodore Tavi Hein is one of two winners of the 2026 Musical Life Foundation, NYC, Composer-in-Residence, an international competition for young composers. Theodore Tavi Hein was awarded this title for Anxiety: A Piece Inspired by Rashid Johnson’s Untitled Anxious Audience, which was performed in a Musical Life Foundation concert by pianist Pavel Bogomyakov at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center in NYC on June 20, 2026. Thank you to Emilia Oskotsky, Pavel Bogomyakov, and everyone at the Musical Life Foundation.
Theodore Tavi Hein’s performance of the piece and Pavel Bogomyakov’s performance below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Enigma of The Night Sky A Fantasia in Light and Shadow for solo piano (2026) Ca. 7’
Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket by James Abbot McNeill Whistler
Winner of the 2026 MEA-NJ Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition, 1st place Senior Division.
Inspired by the impressionistic music of Claude Debussy and the atmospheric and abstract paintings entitled Nocturnes by James Abbot McNeill Whistler, I composed Enigma of the Night Sky to capture the struggle of humanity to understand its relationship to the universe, highlighted by the contrast between our seemingly insignificant existence to the infinite vastness and complexity of the night sky.
I also wrote this piece to create a musical homage to the painting Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket by James Abbot McNeill Whistler. Whistler's Nocturnes series inspired Debussy to create his orchestral work entitled Nocturnes. In Whistler's Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket, shade and color, line and light, act as the primary characters, composed in a contrasting arrangement like music.
I took much direct influence from the music of Debussy. Loosely incorporating his coloristic, structural, and conceptual techniques into my own compositional process, I created an homage to him as well as to Whistler.
Thank you to my former teacher Eric Olsen, Tatjana Rankovich, Mannes Prep, my former school the Lindeblad School of Music, Danette Whelan, Stefan Young, and everyone at MEA-NJ.
Theodore Tavi Hein performing the work at Mannes Prep, the preparatory division of Mannes College of Music, on May 2nd 2026 (top), and at the MEA-NJ Original Composition Festival (bottom) below. Click here for the full program notes: Program Notes
Violin Sonata #1: Of the Beauty and Power of Nature: Mvt. 2, Meditation for violin and piano (2026) Ca. 6’
Inspired by the serene beauty of nature, the second movement of Violin Sonata #1: Of the Beauty and Power of Nature evokes meditative moments in life where one focuses on the melodies and harmonies of the natural world.
Meditation was performed by Kai Lin, violin, and Amir Sahay, piano, at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center in NYC on June 20, 2026. This year, Theodore Tavi Hein won a Musical Life Foundation composer-in-residence award, and this piece was performed as part of the Musical Life winners concert on that date, June 20, 2026. Thank you to Kai Lin and and Amir Sahay for an extraordinary performance that perfectly captured the lyricism of my piece! Thank you to Emilia Oskotsky, Kai Lin, Amir Sahay, and everyone at the Musical Life Foundation. Kai Lin and Amir Sahay’s performance of the work, and score below. Click here for full program notes: Program Notes
Meditation for flute and piano (2025) Ca. 5:30’
Meditation, for flute and piano, explores the duality of multiple natural elements working in tandem to create a meditative experience of sound.
Meditation was performed by composer and flautist, Robbie Strauss, on flute, and the composer, Theodore Tavi Hein, on Piano. Thank you Robbie Strauss for a fantastic performance! Theodore and Robbie performed the piece at a concert at the International Summer Academy and Music Festival (ISAM) Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen, Germany. Thank you to Robbie Strauss, Ofer Ben-Amots, Jan Jirásek, Siegfried Weishaupt, and everyone at ISAM for this wonderful performance and opportunity!
The performance of the piece and score below. Click here for full program notes: Program Notes
Autumn: A Nocturne for solo piano (2025) Ca. 6’
Winner of the 2025 MEA-NJ Eric Steiner Original Composition Competition, 1st place Senior Division
I wrote my original solo piano piece Autumn: A Nocturne in homage to Ravel’s String Quartet in F major. Autumn: A Nocturne explores characteristics of the lush colors and textures of autumnal landscapes through musical imagery.
Thank you to my former teacher Eric Olsen, my former school the Lindeblad School of Music, Danette Whelan, Stefan Young, and everyone at MEA-NJ. Thank you also to my former teacher Dragica Banic-Curcic and also Sondra Tammam. Thank you to Janara Khassenova, Victoria Schwartzman, Martha Sullivan, and everyone at Bard Prep Summer Program.
Video of Theodore Tavi Hein performing the work on July 12th, 2025 at the Bito Conservatory Performance Space at Bard College, Annandale-On-Hudson, N.Y. for the 2025 Bard Prep Summer Music Festival (left, or top on mobile]), and at Forte Piano Music Studio in 2025 (right, or bottom on mobile) below. Click here for full program notes: Program Notes