HOUSTON, March 9, 2023 — In partnership with Houston Symphony and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Asia Society Texas presented two concerts as part of the Songs of the Earth Festival, a two-week festival organized by Houston Symphony to highlight classical music’s most unforgettable and immersive experiences, including soul-stirring meditations on life and death, haunting concertos, and conversations among composers in Europe and Asia in classical music during the 20th and 21st centuries.

On February 3, the Houston-based Kinetic Ensemble presented Musical Inspirations and Identity in France and Korea. This concert included three works by contemporary Korean American composers in conversation with Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major, which was influenced by East Asian cultures and reflects a fascination and exoticization of the “Far East” in Paris at the turn of the 19th century. Kinetic performed Earl Kim’s Three Poems in French for Soprano and String Quartet, which reverses Ravel’s path of influence, with Kim setting poetry by 19th century French writers Paul Verlaine and Charles Baudelaire to music. Jungyoon Wie’s A Popular Tune for String Quartet and Nicky Sohn’s Lullaby for Those Fast Asleep for String Quintet both drew on their Korean heritage, with Sohn being present at the concert to introduce the premiere of her piece. The program was curated by Kinetic violinist Samuel Park to reflect how Asian musicians have gained substantial representation and ownership in the Western genre of classical music since Ravel’s time.

On February 7, the concert Performing Asia: Traditional and Contemporary Music from China and Taiwan was presented and structured around guest musicians Hui-Kuan Lin and Lung-Yi Huang from Taiwan in dialogue with musicians from Houston Symphony and Rice. The program focused on their respective playing of the pipa and sheng, how they are played within traditional music, and how the versatility of these instruments creates exciting opportunities for contemporary pieces by Chinese and Taiwanese composers. Concert curator and composer Shih-Hui Chen spoke on the histories and makeup of the sheng and pipa to provide additional context for the performances. The concert included the world premiere performances of Paysage d’Hiver V by Xu Shuya and East and West XIA by Hwang-Long Pan, and a performance of Ancient Dances: Three Poems by Li Bai by Chen Yi.

Performers

Kinetic in Concert: Musical Inspirations and Identity in France and Korea
February 3, 2023

Musicians
Viola: Tonya Burton
Violin: Natalie Lin Douglas
Bass: Christian Harvey
Cello: Danbe Lee
Violin: Samuel Park
Guest soprano: Yelena Dyachek

Performing Asia: Traditional and Contemporary Music from China and Taiwan
February 7, 2023

Musicians
Sheng: Lung-Yi Huang
Pipa: Hui-Kuan Lin
Percussion: Jake Darnell
Viola: Wei Jiang
Cello: Han Lee
Violin II: Jun Liu
Violin I: Amy Semes
Harp: Kelsey Sham

Conductor
Oliver Dubon

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.