Blossom

Item details

Description +
- - Duration: 5 min.
    
    For my mother
    
    Some time ago, my family were recounting how they came to Australia as refugees from Vietnam. They vividly described the horrible living conditions, hardships, risks and sacrifices they had to endure to build a new life; a life that I take for granted every day. This piece is dedicated to my family, who have enabled me to grow and bloom into the person I am today. I hope this person makes you all proud. The piece’s title is derived from my mother’s Vietnamese name, Hoa, translated into English.
    
    Joey Eng
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (5.0 Octave)
Watch+
- Performance by Joey Eng
About the composer +
- Joey Eng (b. 2001) is a percussionist, composer and educator from Perth, Western Australia. He has performed and given masterclasses to audiences in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Joey was the winner of the 2022 Warana Concerto Competition and a fi nalist in both the inaugural 2019 and the 2021 Marimbafest international solo marimba competition, in which he won 2nd prize and the audience choice award.
  
  A multi-skilled percussionist and collaborator, Joey has performed with many orchestras across Australia including the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Baroque, and the Australian Youth Orchestra. He was also a member and soloist with the World Percussion Group.
  
  As a composer, Joey’s solo percussion and chamber works are being performed regularly by thousands around the world and are on the repertoire lists for multiple notable competitions, including Marimbafest, the Australian Marimba Competition, and the East Switzerland Solo Competition. He has been commissioned by many ensembles/organizations, including the World Percussion Group, Edition Svitzer, Edith Cowan University, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and the Silver Sands Guitar Quartet. His compositions have been featured multiple times in the Percussive Notes magazine.
  
  Joey completed his Bachelor of Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, receiving the 2022 WAAPA Medal as the top graduate of the entire university. As an educator, he was a lecturer specialising in keyboard percussion studies at Edith Cowan University and has taught high school percussionists across schools in Perth, with his students winning a multitude of awards including the Premier of WA Award and the 2023 Marimbafest Open Class Ensemble 1st Prize.
  
  Joey is a Premier Artist for instrument manufacturer Marimba One (USA) and is endorsed by Salyers Percussion and Encore Mallets (USA). His compositions are published by Edition Svitzer (Denmark).
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, April 2026)
  
  This beautiful marimba solo is destined to find its way to numerous student recitals. Its tonal stylings are sometimes reminiscent of the music of Ennio Morricone, and there’s at least one nod to Keiko Abe. The title, “Blossom,” is derived from Eng’s mother’s Vietnamese name, Hoa.
  
  “Blossom” starts tentatively, gradually picking up momentum to an active fortissimo peak before fading out at the end. Standard four-mallet techniques are bountiful, including melodic lines popping out within moving sixteenth notes, a left-hand melody over right-hand ostinato rotation strokes (Abe style), melodies in right-hand octaves, and a piano-like section near the beginning with the melody in the right hand and accompaniment in the left. The notation makes clear what is melody and what is accompaniment, even during faster passages. This work is challenging (but not to an extreme) and lovely, which should make it appealing to many performers.
  
  —Joseph Van Hassel
Credits +
- With support from Koda’s Cultural Funds
  Front Cover Graphics and Layout: Joey Eng
  Photo: Joey Eng
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

Item details

Related publications