Daniel Asia: Choral Works
"Daniel Asia is one of the most prominent American composers of his generation…"
Fanfare
"Asia is a welcome addition to the roster of our strongest group of living composers."
Schwann Opus
Daniel Asia: Composer
Daniel Asia (b. 1953) stands among the most versatile composers of his generation, having traversed orchestral, chamber, vocal, and operatic realms with equal mastery. A 2009 recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in 2024, Asia has been hailed as "a genuine creative spirit" and "a welcome addition to the roster of our strongest group of living composers."
His orchestral works have been commissioned and performed by major symphony orchestras including Cincinnati, Seattle, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and the American Composers Orchestra in New York City. Renowned conductors such as Jesús López-Cobos, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue, and Zdeněk Mácal have championed his music on stages across America and Europe.
Asia served as Professor of Music at the University of Arizona from 1988-2024 and currently serves as President of Polyhymnia (Center for American Culture and Ideas). His distinguished career includes a Guggenheim Fellowship, four NEA Composers Grants, a Fulbright Arts Award Fellowship, and numerous other honors recognizing his contribution to American music.
Symphony No. 2 — Khagiga (Celebration)
"The future of serious music-making" in America.
Fanfare Magazine
"Challenging but listener-friendly."
Seattle Times
"(The) peculiarly elevating juncture of restlessness and stasis, lushness and austerity, grandiosity and intimacy that the work produces speaks quietly and urgently to the human condition at large."
American Record Guide


Khagiga (Celebration)
Forces: Brass quintet, organ, and chorus
Duration: 26 minutes
Note: Below is a link to Asia's Symphony No. 2, which is a reworking of the original materials. Performed, recorded, and commissioned by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Robert Bernhardt, Music Director and Conductor, and the Bess Syde Family. The original choral version presented here has never been recorded.
Choral Works
“Essential and pure.. a superb release.. Asia is a major American talent.”
— Fanfare
“…a sensuous approach to sound…”
— New York Times
"…distinctive choral sound world well worth investigating."
— MusicWeb International
Purer Than Purest Pure
Composed: 1996
Settings of E. E. Cummings for 4-part choir
  • 1. I Thank You God
  • 2. Who Sharpens Every Dull
  • 3. O The Round Little Man (I)
  • 4. Goo-dmore-ning
  • 5. O The Round Little Man (II)
  • 6. Jake Hates
  • 7. Purer Than Purest Pure
Forces: Mixed Chorus (SATB), a cappella (unaccompanied).
About: These cycles navigate the complex, often pointillist settings of E. E. Cummings' poetry. The music is fundamentally tonal but characterized by opaque, chromatic textures, often employing 'vocal Klangfarbenmelodie,' where words are deconstructed and split across different voices to match Cummings' radical typography.
Why (?) Jacob
Composed: 1979
8. Why (?) Jacob (For chorus and piano)
Forces: Mixed Chorus and Piano.
About: A melancholic elegy for the composer's high school friend, Jacob Rayman, who died in the 1973 October War in Israel.
Summer Is Over
Composed: 1997
  • 9. So Many Selves
  • 10. This Is A Rubbish Of Human Rind
  • 11. In Spring (I)
  • 12. Summer Is Over
  • 13. In Spring (II)
  • 14. The Of An It
  • 15. Who Were So Dark
Forces: Mixed Chorus (SATB), a cappella.
About: A follow-up cycle of seven more E. E. Cummings settings, focusing on vocal color and rhythmic precision.
The She Set
  • 16. Isis In Despair
  • 17. Orpheus
  • 18. She
  • 19. Prayer Before Drowning
Forces: Mixed Chorus (SATB), a cappella.
About: A set of four tracks, focusing on word painting and the setting of mood.
Out Of More
  • 20. Hush)
  • 21. Nine Birds (I)
  • 22. Or Who And Who)
  • 23. When Serpents Bargain
  • 24. Nine Birds (II)
  • 25. Out Of More
Forces: Mixed Chorus (SATB), a cappella.
About: A third cycle based on Cummings' poetry.
Sound Shapes
For chorus and pitchpipes
  • 26. Sound Shapes I (♩=60)
  • 27. Sound Shapes II (Floating)
  • 28. Sound Shapes III (♩=60)
Forces: Mixed Chorus and Pitchpipes.
About: A textless work reflecting Asia's early interest in an exploratory sound approach to choral music. The singers use pitchpipes as an integral part of the atmospheric texture, creating a haunting, almost mechanical sound mass alongside the human utterances and vocalizations. It is both serious and humorous.
Performers & Conductors
Daniel Asia's symphonic works have been brought to life by some of the world's most distinguished ensembles and conductors, showcasing the breadth and appeal of his compositional voice across the international classical music community.
Distinguished Ensembles
Dorian Wind Quintet, American Brass Quintet, Meadowmount Trio, Cypress Quartet, Amernet String Quartet
Acclaimed Soloists
Andre-Michel Schub, Alex Klein, Benjamin Verdery, John Shirley-Quirk, Sara Watkins, Christopher Pedro Trakas, Faye Robinson, Robert Dick, Carter Brey, Julian Schwarz, Robert Swensen, Jeremy Huw Williams, Carmen Pelton, Mary Feinsinger
Renowned Conductors
Zdenek Macal, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Eiji Oue, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Carl St. Clair, James Sedares, Stuart Malina, George Hanson, Kirk Trevor, Koji Kawamoto, Gerard Schwarz, Odaline de la Martinez, Jonathan Shames
Asia's Critical Acclaim
Daniel Asia's compositions have consistently garnered praise from leading publications and critics, recognizing his profound contributions to contemporary classical music. His ability to fuse intricate technical mastery with deep emotional resonance has earned him a distinguished place among today's most respected composers. His works are frequently described as powerful, thought-provoking, and technically brilliant, showcasing a composer whose voice is both distinctive and universally appealing.
Daniel Asia has been lauded by The New York Times for his "genuine creative spirit," underscoring his innovative approach to composition across diverse genres and his unique voice in modern music.
Schwann Opus has recognized Asia as "a welcome addition to the roster of our strongest group of living composers," highlighting his significant impact and the compelling nature of his works.
"American classical music has finally taken a sharp turn for the better—back towards tonality, accessibility, and immediacy. Daniel Asia is one of the composers who has his hands on the wheel."
—TIME Magazine
Additional Critical Acclaim
"Restoring Spirituality To Music"
—Forward.com
"Asia rocks!"
—Fanfare Magazine
"…a sensuous approach to sound…"
—New York Times
"Gorgeous music, passionate and lyrical..."
—Schwann Opus
"Challenging but listener-friendly."
—Seattle Times
Asia "wishes to be 'appropriately shattering' or revert to full-blown tonality when reaching for something 'beautiful and transcendent'"
—Fanfare
Distinguished Recognition
Throughout his career, Daniel Asia has received some of the most prestigious honors available to American composers, reflecting both the quality of his work and his significant contribution to contemporary classical music.
American Academy of Sciences & Letters induction ceremony, 2024
American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
2009
American Academy of Sciences and Letters
Inducted 2024
Guggenheim Fellowship
United Kingdom Fulbright Arts Award Fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts
Four NEA Composers Grants
Major Foundation Support
M.B. Rockefeller Grant | Aaron Copland Fund for Music Grant
Artist Residencies
MacDowell Colony Fellowship | Tanglewood Fellowship | DAAD Fellowship (Germany)
Composition Prizes
ASCAP Composition Prize | BMI Composition Prize
Orchestra Residency
Meet The Composer/Composer in Residence with the Phoenix Symphony 1991-94
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