Story | Music | Opera | Animation
Selected Works
So You May Breathe In Light
(Chamber Opera)​​
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Story and Libretto by Lydia Hwang & Theo Chandler
Music by Theo Chandler
In So You May Breathe In Light, we follow an Explorer on his journey into his inner world, where he seeks relief from a weight he has never spoken aloud. His guide, a Healer, leads him within himself, deeper and deeper, to the place where his Shadow resides. But when he meets his Shadow, will it confirm his darkest belief about himself – or reveal a truth he has never allowed himself to see?​​
Premiered May 2025 in Houston, TX.
Beyond the Sanctuary Walls
(Cantata)
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Concept and Text by Lydia Hwang & Theo Chandler
Music by Theo Chandler
Using the imagery of a sanctuary, this piece is an exploration of the relationship between love and fear. While much beauty and safety rest within a sanctuary, its very existence implies an outside world that is dangerous. What is made available when we have the courage to move beyond the safe limits of our sanctuary walls?
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Premiered May 2023 in Houston, TX.
Time Pieces
(Percussion Ensemble with Narrated Poetry)
Concept and Poetry by Lydia Hwang & Theo Chandler
Music by Theo Chandler
How is our perception of time influenced by modern time-keeping technology? How might a person living before the invention of mechanical clocks, before time ever ‘ticked,' have experienced time? Or, before the invention of hourglasses, or even sundials? Did early humans even have a concept of passing time, or did they exist in a state of unfiltered connection with the present?​
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Premiered January 2025 in Boone, NC.
Umma's Greatest Gift
(Animated Short)
Animation and Music by Lydia Hwang and Theo Chandler
Two sisters grieving their deceased mother at the cemetery find solace in the lessons presented by their mother's spirit.
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Created June 2025 in Houston, TX.
