Music of Chen Yi and Zhou Long
In an exciting collaboration exploring creative dialogues between musical traditions and meaningful transnational sonic encounters, violinist/violist Patrick Yim, assistant professor in the Department of Music at Notre Dame, performs music showcasing the creative ingenuity of two of the most celebrated Chinese-American composers active today: Chen Yi and Zhou Long.
The world premiere of Bamboo Grove, a newly composed solo violin work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long, will be performed by Yim at the concert. The program also includes another masterpiece by Zhou, the haunting, atmospheric Tales from the Nine Bells, a chamber work for violin, viola, clarinet, and piano commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and inspired by the Chinese folk legend.
The second half features the viola in two works by Chen Yi, winner of the Charles Ives Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and 2006 Pulitzer Prize Finalist: Xian Shi for viola, percussion, and piano (the first viola concerto by a Chinese composer) and Suite for Viola and Chamber Winds inspired by traditional Chinese instruments.
There will be a masterclass featuring Department of Music students on Friday, April 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. in the LaBar Recital Hall in O'Neill Hall of Music.
In a special appearance, Chen Yi and Zhou Long will provide insight into their works from the stage. This performance is complemented by a public lecture with the composers titled "Cultural Confluence in the Music of Chen Yi and Zhou Long" on Monday, April 15, 2024, at noon, in the LaBar Performance Hall, sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and the Department of Music at the University of Notre Dame.
Composers Zhou Long (2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner) and Chen Yi (2006 Pulitzer Prize Finalist) are honored for their music's masterful integration of Chinese culture. Well-versed in the musical traditions of China and the U.S. — both trained at the elite Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and Columbia University in New York — Chen and Zhou's music challenges stereotypes of the affordances of Western instruments and ensembles. Their craft is appreciated around the globe, with their music performed by an illustrious cast of musicians, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and Yo-Yo Ma. Part of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Presenting Series and co-sponsored by the Department of Music.
For tickets, call 574-631-2800 or visit performingarts.nd.edu.
Originally published at music.nd.edu.