Turbulent Mind is a four-movement concerto for piano and orchestra. It was commissioned by the CCM Concert Orchestra and premiered by them at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory in April 2022, with Michael Delfín as piano soloist and Brett Scott as conductor. I started to write this piece during the most threatening time of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, just after moving from Boston to Cincinnati. However, despite the monotonous lifestyle imposed by the pandemic, I refused to let it stifle my creative spirit. That's how I came to write this piece, in which I used music to express my turbulent mind.

The four movements are written chronologically from the beginning of the pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, expressing what I witnessed and felt. The first movement, Predictable Pattern, introduces the pitch set [0157] and the pitch center "E," which runs throughout the entire concerto.

The second movement, Turbulent Mind, is a fast-paced scherzo that showcases the pianist's virtuosity. I particularly enjoy the explosive timbre produced by striking the piano's lowest register. I composed most of this movement at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2021. Prior to leaving for Tanglewood, I had already spent a year living in my tiny apartment without any social life, and upon arriving at Tanglewood, I found myself unable to stop working on this movement, even though I was finally freed from my four walls.

The third movement, Back to Normal, is quiet and lyrical. While composing this movement, I experienced a wealth of complex emotions. My sorrow and happiness are directly reflected in the piano’s melodic material in this movement.

I composed the last movement, titled Air Raid Siren, after hearing the tragic news of the war in Ukraine. It features glissandi in many different instruments to imitate the sirens I heard in the many devastating videos of the war in Ukraine. My hope is to send my blessings to the people who are suffering from the war and emphasize the importance of world peace.

This piece is dedicated with gratitude and appreciation to my mentor Michael Gandolfi.

(Wenbin Lyu, March 1, 2022)

2023 - The American Prize; 2nd place (orchestra composition division); Danbury, CT

2023 - The American Prize; 3rd place (Composer, COVID related); Danbury, CT

2022 - Amadeo Prize; Diploma Amadeo; Lodi, Italy

2022 - Morton Gould Young Composer Awards; finalist; The ASCAP Foundation; New York, NY

April 21, 2022 (premiere); Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; Cincinnati, OH; CCM Concert Orchestra & Michael Delfín, piano & Brett Scott, conductor