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max lang

@maxlangcomposer

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🇵🇸 palestinian-american composer/vocalist/writer
🎓oberlin ‘26 -> con admissions staff
check out my pieces and goings-on! ↓ ↓

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Thanks a million, @lincolncenter!

This was an incredibly special one. Endless gratitude goes to Nadia Sirota for having us, and to Poiesis as always for being the best collaborators I could ask for!

I am genuinely so floored by the reception this piece has received in the few months since its premiere, and I am so grateful to everyone who has come out to a concert or listened online. Thank you for exploring the mountains with me. ✮ taken in David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center by @maxlangcomposer

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3 months ago

@poiesisquartet, this was a dream come true. شُكْرًا.

commonplace little perils world premiere || 3.11.26
Warner Concert Hall at Oberlin Conservatory

📸: Michael Frazier taken in Oberlin Conservatory of Music by @maxlangcomposer

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7 months ago

max lang’s senior voice & composition recital
5.12.2026 || fairchild chapel

📸: michael frazier || @photographybychickadees taken in Fairchild Chapel by @maxlangcomposer

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5 months ago

It’s somehow September already, so that means a new events calendar! Some exciting performances of “commonplace little perils” by @poiesisquartet are coming up, including its European premiere in Berlin this coming Monday.

Other projects and local events in Oberlin TBA! by @maxlangcomposer

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22 days ago

I am so grateful that I got to be a part of @oberlincon’s Young Composers Workshop two weeks ago! I had the opportunity to give a lecture on my music and my journey as a composer at Oberlin, as well as some tips and tricks for composing in undergrad and professionally. Additionally, I got to present some of my fixed media work for our students as part of an informal concert. Getting to see the dedication and passion of our fantastic group of high school students every day was nothing short of inspiring, and I’m in awe of the amazing things they accomplished during their short time here. Thank you so much to our ensemble in residence for being absolute superstars, and to Oberlin’s composition faculty for bringing me along for the ride!

📸: Michael Frazier (@photographybychickadees) taken in Oberlin Conservatory of Music by @maxlangcomposer

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2 months ago

"the widest sea" started as a little song about grief that I wrote at the piano, and then it became a piece for choir. It wasn't until two years after I first wrote it that this version came to life as a final project for one of my classes. It made sense for me to revisit it at the time I did; I'm a firm believer that grief not only accompanies loss, but it also comes with change. While reimagining this piece, I was looking forward into the uncertainty that comes with graduating and not knowing what's next and looking backwards on fresh experiences of loss, heartbreak, and leaving a very special chapter of life behind. This revised version of the piece was my way of reckoning with change, nostalgia, memory, and the way grief finds its way of crawling into every corner of our lives.

The vocals are run through a harmonizer, which is controlled by a MIDI keyboard, and all of that goes on top of a fixed track, which is made of vocal and cello samples, readings by my friends, and various field recordings. A studio recording is in the works and will hopefully be available on streaming platforms sometime in the near future! by @maxlangcomposer

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It has somehow been two whole years since I lived in the beautiful place that inspired “commonplace little perils,” and I guess I’ve been on a bit of a nostalgia trip. :)) taken in Fraser, Colorado by @maxlangcomposer

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3 months ago

I’m making my Lincoln Center debut in just one week! @poiesisquartet will be performing “commonplace little perils” alongside incredible works by @mayajoselinamusic, @michiwiancko, and @kevinwilkslau_composer. I’ll be there to narrate, and if you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there! by @maxlangcomposer

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3 months ago

In mvt. iii of "commonplace little perils," titled "wildfire sunsets," sonic material from the Rocky Mountain environment meets the ways that I internally processed the dangers of the beautiful nature around me.

When wildfires rage out west, tiny smoke particles are released up into the atmosphere. These little particles catch and scatter red and orange wavelengths of light, resulting in the most breathtaking, deep red sunsets. It was remarkable to me how something so dangerous could turn into something so beautiful, and it was impossible not to see the parallels in my life as a queer and trans person of color. We see the dangers, we quietly acknowledge them, and we reach forwards to the beautiful things in our lives that are right in front of us.

Thank you @poiesisquartet for everything! A full score video for this piece is available now via YouTube at the link in my bio. by @maxlangcomposer

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3 months ago

You won’t have to miss me, Oberlin! Super excited to be sticking around for one more year as an Admissions Fellow to help Oberlin Conservatory find their class of 2031. ❤️💛 taken in Oberlin Conservatory of Music by @maxlangcomposer

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4 months ago

What does it look like when chamber music and spoken poetry combine?

Movement ii of "commonplace little perils" uses spoken text to explore a speaker's internal reactions to dangers in nature, on top of an ever-shifting musical landscape. The score is set up in a way that each instrumentalist gets a chance to read, or the text can be read by an external narrator. As both a writer and a composer, this has become one of my favorite ways to play with interdisciplinary work. Thanks @poiesisquartet for being so down to try out new things and for having me read whenever I can make it to a performance!

Full score video coming to YouTube next week!

Performance by @poiesisquartet
Reading by @layth.music by @maxlangcomposer

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4 months ago