Uh-oh! | YING-TING LIN | Ensemble Télémaque

Uh-oh! - for actor, soprano and ensemble. ABOUT THE WORK This piece grew out of playing with my 20-month-old daughter as she explores popping pipes and a squeaky toy. Since she’s still learning to talk, a lot of what she says comes out as short, repeat-y bits— “uh-oh,” “no-no,” “oh yeah”—little vocal gestures that carry meaning before they turn into full sentences. As the adult in the room, I keep catching myself trying to teach her the “right” way to play. But who decides what “right” even means? If you handed someone a mug for the first time, would they automatically know to grab the handle? And what if there isn’t a handle? The piece unfolds in three sections, each with a different amount of improvisation, tracing a path from play → teach → clockwork. What begins as playful, curious exploration gradually gets organized—almost trained—until the toys are absorbed into the ensemble and become part of the instrumental system.