As part of its upcoming international Pan-Asian Festival, Stanford
University will put a spotlight on an innovative web-based collaboration.
In the summer of 2006, as part of Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Chicago project, Beijing based composer Xiaogang Ye emailed a commissioned
piece of music to Chicago ensemble Accessible Contemporary in four monthly
installments. Each installment was recorded and posted to the Internet as it was
received and the final performance of the new work was given, with the composer in
attendance, at the Chicago Cultural Center to a standing room only crowd.
A documentary film about the project, Composer Alive: Eastern Expressions has been featured on PBS affiliates WTTW in Chicago, KCPT in Kansas City and others. The film follows the ensemble as they use google to search for a composer in China, record the installments, face unforeseen obstacles and misunderstandings, struggle to raise money and work to raise awareness of the project in the Chinese community.
For their part of the festival Accessible Contemporary Music will screen the film and then hold a panel presentation featuring ACM Executive Director Seth Boustead, composer Xiaogang Ye and the musicians from the ensemble in which they discuss how the project came to life and the many obstacles overcome along the way.
A full performance of the new piece, Datura, scored for flute, violin, cello and piano will follow the panel presentation.
“Composer Alive: Eastern Expressions is more than a film about a collaboration, “ says Henry Fogel, President of the American Symphony Orchestra League. “It directly
addresses many of the most important issues facing Classical music, and especially
contemporary music, today.”
Cost: Free