L-R Kristin Lee by Lauren Desberg, Vivian Fung by Titilayo Ayangade, Sandbox Percussion by Alex Lee
available in high resolution here.
Violinist Kristin Lee and Sandbox Percussion
Give the West Coast Premiere of New Work Composed by Vivian Fung
Presented by Music@Menlo
Friday, October 30, 2026 at 7:00pm
Spieker Center for the Arts | 50 Valparaiso Ave. | Atherton, CA
Tickets and More Information
violinistkristinlee.com | vivianfung.ca | sandboxpercussion.com | musicatmenlo.org
Violinist Kristin Lee, praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy,” and the “utterly amazing” (Guardian) GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion, give the West Coast premiere of Goddess//Insect – a new work composed for them by JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung – on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 7:00pm presented by Music@Menlo. The performance will be held in the Spieker Center for the Arts (50 Valparaiso Ave.). Sandbox Percussion and Lee pair Fung’s new work with To Sing Or Dance for violin and percussion by Joan Tower and Gabriella Smith’s percussion quartet written for Sandbox, FIVE.
Goddess//Insect is co-commissioned by a national consortium of presenters – Emerald City Music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, Constellations Chamber Concerts, and Newport Classical.
“Goddess//Insect is derived from the term 'God-Bug Syndrome' where a 'god complex' (inflated self-importance) acts as a defense against deep-seated feelings of worthlessness,” says Vivian Fung. “I believe our world right now is facing these conflicting emotions and so this work is ultimately a work that reflects our turbulent and chaotic times.”
Kristin Lee and Vivian Fung have a fruitful history of musical collaboration. In 2009, Lee joined Fung on a tour of Bali with the gamelan that Fung was performing with. This trip informed the violin concerto that Fung would write for Lee the following year. Of that work, Fung writes in her note on the piece, “The concerto draws on the sights, sounds, and memories of Bali that have remained in my heart from the tour, as well as my getting to know Kristin [Lee], her firebrand style of playing, and, complementing that, the intense lyricism that she expresses as well.”
Kristin Lee says, “This project has been in the works for several years, and I couldn’t be more excited that it has finally come to life. My admiration for Sandbox Percussion’s vast sound world and Vivian Fung’s boundless creativity grew out of two very different musical chapters in my life, and bringing them together feels like a dream come true. Beyond my own personal excitement, this piece is a celebration of an instrumentation with enormous potential; the combination of percussion quartet and violin. Yet, this pairing remains underrepresented in the repertoire. By sharing works by Vivian and Joan, I hope this project will inspire others to expand the possibilities for this instrumentation and help bring its powerful impact to a wider audience.”
Victor Caccese of Sandbox Percussion says, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Kristin Lee on a new work by Vivian Fung and to explore the dialogue between an instrument with a rich history like the violin and the expansive, ever-evolving sound world of a percussion quartet. Sandbox Percussion has long admired Kristin’s artistry and the singular path she has forged as a violinist, and this collaboration feels like a perfect fit. This project offers a meaningful opportunity to expand the chamber music repertoire for violin and percussion quartet. Vivian’s music is endlessly creative, drawing on long-standing musical traditions while blending them with fresh, contemporary ideas. Her work opens up a rich and expressive space for these instruments together, and we’re excited to bring a new voice into this still largely underexplored corner of the chamber music landscape.”
About the Artists:
Kristin Lee: violinistkristinlee.com
Sandbox Percussion: sandboxpercussion.com
Vivian Fung: vivianfung.ca