Oliver Kahng ’26 Debuts Original Composition With the New Jersey Youth Symphony

Oliver Kahng ’26, a member of Wharton Arts' New Jersey Youth Symphony, debuted an original composition on Saturday during the symphony's holiday event Galaxies of Joy: The Planets in Concert. Kahng's piece, PLUTO: The Gatekeeper to the Underworld, was inspired by the astronomical and mythological significance of Pluto.

"I wanted to express what Pluto might sound like astronomically as a very distant, cold, dark planet" said Kahng. "I also wanted to highlight Pluto's significance in Roman and Greek mythology."

Kahng began playing the violin at the age of three and joined the New Jersey Youth Symphony in the third grade. He started composing during his time with the symphony, and PLUTO was his first piece played for a wider audience.

"It's really fascinating how one can express so much using the score, which is just a sheet of directions, but you can interpret it however you want," said Kahng. "I think that therein lies the beauty of music."

Next year, Kahng will attend Princeton University, where he plans to major in mathematics and minor in music. He intends to continue composing and hopes to premiere other pieces in front of audiences in the future.