Five years ago today
#CivilizationVI
was released with my piece
#SognoDiVolare
on the main menu. So grateful to the people at
@CivGame
—which I first started playing 30 years ago—for bringing me on board to write some tunes for the game once again.
Story time! We were at a museum in Amsterdam when we noticed a Korean man staring at me. Finally after making eye contact he lifted his finger, pointed to me, and slowly said “... Baba Yetu?”
So my funny wife got me this for Christmas the following year.
I ❤️ my Korean fans! 🇰🇷
Apparently Mozambique has signed peace accord between the government and the armed opposition party. And Baba Yetu was the chosen music for the ceremony!
#civilization
#civ4
#music
#composergoal
Fun fact: while the signing took place, an orchestra and choir performed a song called Baba Yetu, originally composed for the computer game Civilization IV. A game that is generally not associated with peace... but conquest and warfare.
Despite not winning, we still had a great time at the GRAMMYs this year! Thanks for the love and support everyone. I’m blessed to have friends and fans like you. ❤️
Sooo........ I just got an invitation to a conference at the Vatican, with an audience with Pope Francis!
I think this is an appropriate time to trot out these emoji: 🙏😇
(They've used my music before for events, which is an honor in itself, but this is another level!)
Please meet my the newest member of our family, Penny! (Penelope Rose Tin). Our little girl was born Friday evening. Her mom is recovering well, and her dad is falling in love all over again. :) Best birthday present ever!
The suspense is over! My final entry in this year's
@ClassicFM
Hall of Fame is my themes to
@CivGame
, ('Baba Yetu' and 'Sogno di Volare') at
#80
. Thanks to all who voted me in!
Something wonderful arrived in the mail! Huge thanks to the
@recordingacademy
… getting
#grammy
nominations for both a classical album and a video game score in the same year was a huge honor. Thank you to my collaborators for a team effort.
Fifteen years ago I wrote a song that would change my life! On Oct. 23rd, we’ll be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Baba Yetu with a celebration of all the performances, covers, videos and more created by you over the last decade and a half! ⬇️ continuing in the comments below
Still can’t believe I got to do this! 😍 Just handed in the final score for my completion of
#turandot
for
@WashNatOpera
. It’s been a thrill working with Susan Soon He Stanton and
@FZambello
on finishing
#Puccini
’s final opera on the 100th anniversary of his death. Coming May 11!
OUT NOW! Dear friends, I’m thrilled to present you: ‘To Shiver the Sky’. I can’t be grateful enough for all the people that made my first Decca Gold record a reality! I hope you’ll enjoy it, as well as the brand new music video to movement X.
@UMG
Link:
Delighted to see that I was nominated for 2 GRAMMY® awards this morning! My album 'The Lost Birds' with
@VOCES8
and
@rpoonline
was nominated in 'Best Classical Compendium' and my soundtrack to
@mohawkgames
'Old World' was nominated in the new 'Best Video Game Soundtrack' category
One of the probs with conducting your own sessions is that you don't have a free hand to take notes while recording. So I keep a little 🙂 stamp in my left hand, and if I hear something wrong, I stamp it on the fly. By the end of the session my score looks really happy to see me!
A few years ago I wrote the theme for the new FPS
@Splitgate
by
@1047Games
, and it's completely taken off! Shoutouts to my collaborators
@tyDi
, who handled the electronic production and Alex Williamson who arranged my theme.
#splitgate
#videogamemusic
Confession time: every time I'm frustrated that I'm not nailing it, I spend a good few minutes banging out my greatest hits on piano to remind myself that I actually *am* capable of doing my job from time to time.
Baba Yetu is currently
#3
on the Classical Top Songs chart on iTunes. I'll bet the
@AngelCitySings
's performance on
#AmericasGotTalent
had something to do with that. :)
I'm writing a new choral piece right now. It's a simple one. Very tuneful, almost like a hymn. Unfussy, uncomplicated... all about modest beauty. It's one that you and your friends can sing softly together late at night, perhaps around a campfire, or walking home from the pub.
.
@CBSSunday
came by the studio for an upcoming segment about how far video game music has come since my 2011
#GRAMMY
win for 'Baba Yetu' from
@CivGame
IV. Enjoyed chatting with
@conorknighton
about our mutual background in collegiate a cappella. Broadcast details coming soon!
Surprised and delighted by this! Huge thanks to
@ClassicFM
for tuning so many people on to my music these last couple years, and thanks to the voters who put 'The Lost Birds' into the ClassicFM
#HallofFame
for a second year running. I'm so honored.
The legendary
@SteveReich
came by my studio a few weeks ago to record a new version of 'Clapping Music' for the
@Soundstreams
new music festival in Toronto.
The concert went beautifully! Thanks to
@StanfordLive
for hosting the world premiere of The Lost Birds and to
@VOCES8
@FrictionQuartet
and Keisuke Nakagoshi for the beautiful performances. Was a joy to conduct this in my hometown and university. I’m a happy composer today. ❤️
I've been narrating my trip to London for our toddler via iCloud! Every day I take a picture or two and caption it, and it magically appears on our iPad at home. Being a dad is kinda awesome.
#dadthings
#icloud
#composer
#voces8
#recordingsessions
This time last year I was on TV as a judge for a singing show, and conducting the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. This... this is my new life. 👶💩🍼❤️
#sendhelp
That’s a wrap recording with
@voces8
! It’s been an honor to work with them, they truly are eight of the most gifted singers on the planet. So grateful to have them breathe life into my music. Here’s a short sneak-peek of what we’ve been working on!
🎥: Tim Hsia
#composer
#choir
Just saw the stellar Stellenbosch University Choir from South Africa compete at
#Llangollen2018
singing a PHENOMENAL rendition of Baba Yetu. Check it out here (look for 'Côr Prifysgol Stellenbosch'):
FANTASTIC performance, FANTASTIC arrangement!
"Waloyo Yamoni" is the climactic final track of ''The Drop That Contained The Sea', an album I made with singers from South Africa, Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal, and more. Pre-order your signed vinyl edition of the album: link in my bio!
INCREDIBLY EXCITED!
@WashNatOpera
has commissioned me to complete Puccini's great unfinished masterpiece, Turandot. Along with writer Susan Soon He Stanton and Director
@FZambello
, we'll be bringing Puccini's final opera into the 21st century. Coming to the
@kencen
May '24.
I've started work on my third studio album 'To Shiver the Sky'. It's a musical exploration of the sky, starting with my anthem to flight 'Sogno di Volare'. I'll be launching a Kickstarter Feb. 1st to bring fans closer to the process. Visit
Thank you to all my supporters. I'm overwhelmed. We raised a record-breaking $225,472, surpassing my previous record for 'To Shiver the Sky'. Does anyone have more passionate fans than I do? I think not. You all are amazing. I can't wait to make this album with you.
Excited to be working with
@stayathomechoir
again! We're creating the largest ever virtual choir recording of 'Baba Yetu'. Virtual rehearsals are between Feb. 20 and Mar. 10 and I'm participating in several sessions! If you'd like to join, learn more here:
Thanks to everyone who gave my music a listen, especially those who discovered me for the first time this year. Love you all! Lots more new music coming next year a stay tuned.
For those of you who wonder how I work, here is a sneak peek behind the scenes of the Logic session for Sogno di Volare!
@CivGame
#sognodivolare
#session
With the new composer desk finished and other improvements in the overall recording space, I thought I'd show a bit more of my own custom-built studio. It's not quite done yet, but for now enjoy some teaser shots!
The song is Waloyo Yamoni, from my album The Drop That Contained The Sea. It’s sung in Lango, a language native to Uganda, with text taken from a rainmaking litany.
I wrote a new video game theme!
@Splitgate
the Halo-meets-Portal arena combat game is out today! Had a blast co-writing the main theme with
@tyDi
and brought on board my longtime collaborator Alex Williamson for additional music. More info on
@steam_games
I’m happy to announce that I’ve just launched a
@kickstarter
campaign for my next major album ‘The Lost Birds’--an elegy for bird species that we've driven to extinction, featuring
@VOCES8
& the
@rpoonline
, recorded at
@AbbeyRoad
. Watch trailer here: (1/3)
Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack drops today! I wrote the opening music for the film. I took an old Chinese melody and completely transformed it into a modern big band piece. Check it out! "Waiting for Your Return" cond/prod/arr by me, feat. Jasmine Chen
Happy 10th anniversary to 'Calling All Dawns’!! I could not be more grateful for all the fans, the wonderful orchestras and choirs who took my debut album to a decade-long journey around the world.
Looking forward to our next Lincoln Center concert on March 23, 2020 with
@DCINY
.
These are finally out, and I'm super excited! Vocal scores for my newest
#GRAMMY
nominated work 'The Lost Birds', courtesy of my amazing publishers
@Boosey
and distributed by
@HalLeonardCorp
. Perform it with your choir!
I've heard of Baba Yetu being played at weddings, funerals, and even in the delivery room... but the final dance at prom? That's a new one. (Congratulations Bermudian Springs seniors!)
Whoa! ‘To Shiver the Sky’ debuted at
#1
on
@Billboard
’s Classical Crossover charts! Thanks everyone for getting and listening to the album! Listen & order on all platforms.
Two days ago I was helping arrange a piano quartet for members of one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world. Yesterday I was working with a DJ and pop topliner. Today I'm doing a big-band chart for a major studio movie. 2018 has been fun so far!
Today Penny and I snuggled up on the couch for an hour listening to Motown records. And at the end of it she turned to me and said “Dada, I like listening to music with you.”
❤️❤️❤️
13 years ago
@CivGame
Civilization IV launched, and included this song. And my career has never been the same since! Happy Anniversary
@2K
and
@FiraxisGames
!
Launching today! 'Old World', the new 4x game by
@mohawkgames
(founded by my old friend
@SorenJohnson
, designer of Civ IV and Offworld Trading Company). I'm still recording new music and a title song for this, which will be added soon. For now check it out on
@EpicGames
!
In less that 24 hours I'll be releasing ‘To Shiver the Sky’ to the world!! Grab your best headphones and join me online to listen to the new album with me in real time. Our global listening party starts at 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern / 7 PM UK time.
RIP Alex Trebek. I spent my teenage years posing questions to his answers through the TV. It was truly an honor to be a small part of the Jeopardy legacy.
Baba Yetu is temporarily removed from Spotify and other streaming services, but will be back up soon, along with the entire Calling All Dawns album! Thanks for your patience--digital distribution has its challenges.
Today marks the 1-year countdown to the World Premiere of my third album 'To Shiver the Sky'. I'm beyond excited to share this new one with all of you!
#tinworks
"Tin's music indeed does resemble that of a film score; compared with John Williams, it may suffer a bit, but whose would not?" NEW LIFE GOAL: suck less when compared to John Williams.
My new album 'The Lost Birds' is out today! Featuring
@VOCES8
and the
@rpoonline
and released on
@deccaclassics
, I am so excited to share this labor of love with you. You can purchase or listen to the album here: