Senior Holden Mui holds a deep appreciation for the intricate details found in both mathematics and music. A meticulously crafted orchestral piece and a deftly designed competitive math problem share a common thread - the need to possess a certain flair and a finely tuned sense of how to captivate an audience's interest.

Uniting Math and Music - Holden Mui's Journey

Mathematics and Music: A Symbiotic Relationship

Holden Mui firmly believes that people desire fresh, novel, and non-recycled approaches in both math and music. As a guide of sorts, he takes his creative ideas for a musical composition or a math problem and presents them to audiences in an engaging manner. His ideas must be translated from his mind onto the page with the utmost precision. Details truly matter.Mui, a double major in math and music from Lisle, Illinois, sees the importance of inviting people into a creative process that enables a conversation to unfold between a piece of music he writes and his audience. Similarly, in the case of a math problem and those who attempt to solve it. "Part of math's allure lies in its capacity to unveil profound truths that may be concealed within simple statements," he argues. "Conversely, contemporary classical music should be accessible and enjoyable by the largest possible number of people."

Early Experiences at MIT

Mui's first encounter with MIT was as a high school student in 2017. He participated as a member of a high school math competition team attending an event organized by MIT and Harvard University students. The following year, he met other students at math camps and began seriously contemplating his future."I chose math as a major because it has been a passion of mine since high school. My interest grew through competitions and was further nurtured through research," he explains. "I selected MIT because it boasts one of the most rigorous and accomplished mathematics departments in the country."

Music and Math: Parallel Paths

Mui is not only a math problem writer for the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT) but also performs with Ribotones, a club that travels to places such as retirement homes or public spaces on the institute's campus to offer free music. He studies piano with Timothy McFarland, an artist affiliate at MIT, through the MIT Emerson/Harris Fellowship Program and has previously studied with Kate Nir and Matthew Hagle of the Music Institute of Chicago. He began playing the piano at the age of five and cites French composer Maurice Ravel as one of his major musical influences.As a music student at MIT, Mui is actively involved in various musical activities, including piano performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, serving as a violist in the MIT Symphony Orchestra, conducting, and composition.He delights in the remarkable variety offered within MIT's music program. "It encompasses everything from electronic music to world music studies," he notes. "This has broadened my understanding and appreciation of music's diverse nature."

Collaborative Creations

Throughout his academic journey, Mui found himself surrounded by like-minded students like former Yale University undergraduate Andrew Wu. Together, they won an Emergent Ventures grant. In this collaboration, Mui composed the music that Wu would perform. Wu described his experience with one of Mui's compositions, "Poetry," as "requiring serious concentration and continuous re-listening," revealing nuances even after multiple hearings.Another of Mui's compositions, "Landscapes," was performed by MIT's Symphony Orchestra in October 2024, providing audiences with the opportunity to engage with the ideas he explores in his music.One of the challenges Mui encountered early on is that academic composers sometimes produce music that audiences may find difficult to comprehend. "People often claim that music is a universal language, but one of the most valuable lessons I've learned at MIT is that music is not as universally experienced as one might assume," he says. "For instance, there are significant differences between Western music and world music."This realization broadened his perspective on how to approach music and inspired him to consider his audience more carefully when composing. He views music as an invitation for people to enter his way of thinking.

Sharing Skills and Ideas

Mui understands the significance of sharing his skills and ideas with others and credits the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program for providing numerous opportunities for travel and teaching. "I have participated in three MISTI trips during IAP [Independent Activities Period] to teach mathematics," he says.He emphasizes the importance of being flexible, dynamic, and adaptable in preparing for a fulfilling professional life. Both music and math demand the development of soft skills that can assist him in achieving success as a musician, composer, and mathematician."Creating math problems is surprisingly similar to writing music," he argues. "In both cases, the work needs to be complex enough to be engaging without becoming inaccessible." For Mui, designing original math problems is "akin to attempting to write down an original melody.""To write math problems, one must have encountered a wide variety of math problems. Similarly, to write music, one needs to be familiar with the musical literature - Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, Ligeti - a diverse group of musical personalities."

A Future in Notes and Numbers

Mui highlights the professional and personal benefits of exploring different fields. "It enables me to build a more diverse network of people with unique perspectives," he says. "Professionally, having a range of experiences and viewpoints to draw upon is invaluable; the broader my knowledge and network, the more insights I can acquire to succeed."After graduating, Mui plans to pursue doctoral studies in mathematics after completing a cryptography internship. "The connections I've established at MIT and will continue to make are valuable as they will be useful regardless of the career path I choose," he says. He aspires to continue researching math that challenges and rewards him. Just as with his music, he aims to strike a balance between emotion and innovation."I think it's crucial not to concentrate all one's efforts in a single area," he says. "One notable figure that comes to mind is Isaac Newton, who divided his time among three fields: physics, alchemy, and theology." Mui's future undoubtedly includes both music and math. Whether composing or designing math problems, he seeks to invite others into a world where notes and numbers merge to create meaning, inspire connections, and transform understanding.