Artist Spotlight

Chromic Duo and NY Philharmonic’s Team Up For Augmented Reality Concert Experience in NYC

Chromic Duo – Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan – are teaming up with the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program for a project entitled “Emerald Futures” where they will combine the performance of the original compositions from the young composers (ages 12-16) with an augmented reality sound walk through New York City. The augmented reality experience will be available to anyone who would like to participate via the app Gesso (available on iOS and Android) starting on July 2nd.

An innovative way to experience music and storytelling, the walk will give listeners a multi-sensory experience as they experience the freedom of exploring the city while immersed in the sounds of original compositions. The scripted audio sound walk will lead listeners on a path through the city from New York’s Central Park to the Lincoln Center using a GPS trigger to create site-specific concert experiences, accessible to the participant at any time.

The experience culminates with Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s “We Belong Here” mural as a moment of reflection and response to ending AAPI hate. Phingbodhipakkiya created the “We Belong Here” campaign to confront the surge in bias and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – a cause that Yao and Chan are also supporting in their forthcoming work with Mott Street Girls to support local Chinatown businesses that have been impacted by the rise of AAPI crime. “In the wake of exclusion, noticing how much oppression there is in our world right now, we want to create a hybrid experience to experience concerts in public spaces that is the epitome of accessibility and inclusion,” says the duo. “We are motivated to create spaces where stories can be told to foster a deeper understanding of humanizing perspectives.” Through their own self-discovery as first and second-generation Asian Americans, Chromic Duo understands how expansive the diaspora is and how it fails to describe who they truly are. “By having so much that is undefined, part of the beauty behind this project is to create moments where there is a grey area- where sound is met with a strike of lightning in color, where the history of NYC is reflected on through a contemporary narrative of music by the next generation of young composers and thinkers,” says Yao.

Overall, Chromic Duo hopes that this reflective music and narration will allow participants to immerse themselves in an experience that brings to light the stories and perspectives of people and communities around them so that they can be inspired to respond based on empathy instead of biased judgment. “We also hope to inspire the young composers of this program to lean into their curiosities, and always be questioning and challenging the norms of how things came to be,” says Lucy Yao. “We often ask ourselves, ‘how can we use music as a positive force and tool to bring people together?’ Music has the power to take your perceived biases and understanding of the world and challenge them.” By bringing a new perspective on how participants perceive their environment and connect themselves within their communities, they are excited to see how it can interact with music to create innovative ways of “going through the motions” in an amplified manner that allows for new connections to happen.

About New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program:

An afterschool program through the School Partnership Program for grades 7-10, the Very Young Composer’s Program exposes students to the instruments of the orchestra, nurtures their inherent creativity, and culminates with original works performed by members of the Philharmonic. Students with or without musical backgrounds create, notate, and hear their very own music performed by Philharmonic musicians — often the full Orchestra — with the help of Philharmonic Teaching Artists serving as mentors. The VYC idea is rapidly catching on as it has reached children on four continents in countries including Korea, China, Japan, Venezuela, Spain, and Finland. VYC students in various American cities are exchanging “musical postcards” with these children around the world.

About Chromic Duo: Chromic Duo is an award-winning electronic toy piano duo that brings new audiences together by creating new connections between classical music, electronics, and multimedia. “Tackling large issues with toy pianos” – Chromic pushes the possibilities of genres and performance by recontextualizing classical music in multimedia work inspired by the multitudes as third-culture-kids discovering their voice within the vast Asian American diaspora. The duo composes and reorchestrates indie, classical, ambient, and electronica into arrangements that use any combination of keyboard instruments – ranging from the toy piano to melodica, toy horn, audio-reactive installations, and instruments that link sound to color and movement. Widely known as creatives in other aspects as well, Chromic Duo has projects ranging from collaborations with the New York Philharmonic Young Composers Program, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Educational Initiative, working in collaboration with the Design Museum of Chicago for two world premiere pieces during the pandemic, and other virtual experience collaborations that bring light to Asian-American identities and racial power structures. They were recently announced as the winners of Concert Artist Guild and Young Concert Artists Trust – opening doors for prestigious debuts at famous international venues like Carnegie and Wigmore.

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Connect with Chromic Duo:

Website | Instagram | Spotify

More information on the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composer’s Program:

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Artist Spotlight

Karate Boogaloo find sunshine through the storm on “Wet Day Timetable”

Karate Boogaloo return with “Wet Day Timetable,” an instrumental piece that proves even the most ordinary disappointments can become something memorable. Inspired by the familiar feeling of having plans washed away by the rain, the track transforms that mood into an uplifting musical experience filled with warmth and character. Rather than dwelling on frustration, the band embraces the slower pace of a wet day, allowing every note to unfold with patience and purpose.

The result is music that feels comforting, reflective, and quietly joyful, capturing the emotional shift from disappointment to acceptance with remarkable grace. It is a reminder that some of the strongest musical statements are made through restraint rather than excess. As a snapshot of the forthcoming record Access All Areas, “Wet Day Timetable” highlights the qualities that make Karate Boogaloo such compelling musicians.

Memorable melodies, understated arrangements, and effortless chemistry combine to create an instrumental that lingers well after it ends. The band’s ability to turn a simple everyday experience into an emotionally satisfying journey speaks volumes about their artistic maturity. Without relying on elaborate production or dramatic flourishes, they deliver a track that feels genuine, timeless, and deeply rewarding. “Wet Day Timetable” stands as a graceful celebration of thoughtful composition, proving that even a rainy day can provide the perfect soundtrack for optimism.

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Artist Spotlight

Skyve makes life’s hardest questions latest release “Ponder”

Skyve‘s latest release, “Ponder” offers a contemplative release that invites listeners to slow down and think about the delicate nature of life. Instead of rushing through emotions, the track explores meaningful questions of why we are here, how fleeting life can be, and the different ways people respond to hardship. At its heart, it’s about pausing to think, about remembering that the greatest life lessons often come in the quiet moments of reflection.

Some people are made stronger by pain, while others struggle to break free from bad habits and unhealthy coping mechanisms. This contrast gives “Ponder” emotional heft, recognizing that grief and hardship don’t always end in the same place for everyone. skyve doesn’t give us easy answers, but asks us to look honestly, to consider resilience and vulnerability through the lens of our own experiences. The songwriting encourages the audience to reflect on how life’s struggles shape us, while recognizing that everyone’s journey is unique.