Composer Adeline Wong explores themes of memory, identity, and transformation through her recent compositions, focusing on Sembilan (‘Nine’ in Malay), written for oboe and two percussionists. She investigates the compositional methods through which these themes are articulated, situating the work within the broader context of her creative practice. Wong’s work engages both Southeast Asian and Western musical traditions, each with distinct approaches to time, texture, and form, fostering a fluid sense of identity and layered reflections of cultural heritage.

Sembilan employs repetition not as a mere formula but as a cultural reflection that shapes the transformation of musical material. Drawing on Minangkabau traditions from West Sumatra, Indonesia, and Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, it incorporates symbolic elements—such as upward-curving buffalo horn roofs—translated into musical contours and textures. Its structure is guided by the number nine, manifesting as nine distinct gestures layered across three temporal planes, resonating with the tigo tungku sajarangan—the three pillars of Minangkabau society (ancestors, scholars, and religious leaders). The three performers embody this interplay, reflecting the interdependence of social roles and the Southeast Asian aesthetic of interwoven time.

Sembilan thus creates a generative space where inherited forms and contemporary gestures coexist. This work contributes to ongoing dialogues in intercultural music practice by articulating a compositional voice shaped by memory, cultural heritage, and emotional resonance.