#ClassicsaDay #APAHM Week 4

May is designated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The Classics a Day team adopted that theme as well. For the month of May, the challenge is to post examples of classical music composed or performed by artists who share that heritage.

I limited myself to just posting Asian-American composers. And discovered a seemingly limitless number of composers to choose from -- both past and present.

Here are my picks for the final week of #ClassicsaDay #APAHM

05/24/21 Thomas Oboe Lee - Violin Concerto

Lee emigrated to the U.S. at age 7. On the faculty of Boston College, Lee's music has won two Guggenheim and two NEA Fellowships, as well as first prize at the Kennedy Center Awards.

05/24/21 Stella Sung - Paris 1987

Sung is a pianist and composer. She writes both acoustic and electronic music and has several film scores to her credit.

05/25/21 Shuya Xu - Nirvana

Xu is on the faculty of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. His music has been performed and won awards internationally.

05/26/21 Tonia Ko - Tribute

Ko was born in Hong Kong and raised in Honolulu. She's enjoyed an international career both as a composer and an academician.

05/27/21 Peng Peng Gong - Piano Concerto No. 3

Gong (currently age 29) was a child prodigy, with an international concertizing career. His compositions, including 11 symphonies and 3 piano concertos, have won several awards.

05/28/21 Karen Tanaka - Enchanted Forest

Japanese composer Tanaka has written for the concert hall and film, including an Academy Award-nominated short. Her love of nature is a frequent inspiration in her work.

#ClassicsaDay #APAHM Week 3

May is designated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The Classics a Day team adopted that theme as well. For the month of May, the challenge is to post examples of classical music composed or performed by artists who share that heritage.

I limited myself to just posting Asian-American composers. And discovered a seemingly limitless number of composers to choose from -- both past and present.

Here are my picks for the first week of #ClassicsaDay #APAHM

05/17/21 Bun-Ching Lam - Like Water

This Chinese-American composer, conductor, and pianist divides her time between Paris and New York. Her music combines Asian traditions with Western contemporary techniques.

05/18/21 Chan ka Nin - Celebration of Life and Death for Sheng and String Quartet

Chan emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada as a teenager. The Chinese sheng is a polyphonic wind instrument dating back to 1100 BC.

05/19/21 Xian Xinghai - Yellow River Concerto

Xian was one of the first Chinese composers to write in Western classical forms. This concerto is based on his 1939 Yellow River Cantata.

05/20/21 Vivian Fung - Concerto for two violins and string orchestra

Canadian composer Fung blends Western traditions with Asian music. She's particularly interested in Javanese gamelan music. She's currently an associate of the Canadian Music Centre.

05/21/21 Alice Ping Yee Ho (1960-)

Ho is a Canadian composer and pianist who has won multiple Juno Awards for her music. The Four Seasons Ballade is based on poems by Li Bai, who served the Tang Dynasty in the 8th Century.

#ClassicsaDay #APAHM Week 2

May is designated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The Classics a Day team adopted that theme as well. For the month of May, the challenge is to post examples of classical music composed or performed by artists who share that heritage.

I limited myself to just posting Asian-American composers. And discovered a seemingly limitless number of composers to choose from -- both past and present.

Here are my picks for the second week of #ClassicsaDay #APAHM

05/10/21 Zhou Long - Postures Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

This Chinese composer writes, "I have been composing music seriously to achieve my goal of improving the understanding between peoples from various backgrounds."

05/11/21 Chinary Ung - Spiral

Ung emigrated from Cambodia to study clarinet and turned to composition. Spiral won the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award in 1989 for American instrumental msuic.

05/12/21 Dorothy Chang - Small and Curious Spaces

Chang teaches music at the University of British Columbia. Her music incorporates Chinese music and instruments into Western classical forms.

05/13/21 Bright Sheng - String Quartet No. 3

Before emigrating to the U.S., Sheng studied and collected folk music in China and Tibet. He has also worked on the Silk Road Project.

05/14/21 Chelsea Chen - The Moon Lady

Most of Chen's compositions are for the organ. Though young, she's enjoyed an impressive international career as an organist and composer.

#ClassicsaDay #APAHM Week 1

May is designated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The Classics a Day team adopted that theme as well. For the month of May, the challenge is to post examples of classical music composed or performed by artists who share that heritage.

I limited myself to just posting Asian-American composers. And discovered a seemingly limitless number of composers to choose from -- both past and present.

Here are my picks for the first week of #ClassicsaDay #APAHM

05/03/21 Tan Dun - Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa (1999)

Best known for his film scores, Tan Dun's works combine Chinese traditional music with Western forms. The pipa dates from the 2nd Century, CE.

05/04/21 Keiko Abe - The Wave Impressions Concerto for Marimba and Wind Orchestra

This Japanese marimbist and composer is credited with developing the modern 5-octave concert marimba in conjunction with Yamaha. Several of her works have become standards of the marimba repertoire.

05/05/21 Chen Yi - Percussion Concerto

Chinese-American composer and violinist Chen Yi has an impressive body of work, including the Pulitzer Prize-nominated "Si Ji."

05/06/21 Andy Akiho - NO one To kNOW one

Andy Akiho is a percussionist and composer with eclectic tastes. Many of his compositions incorporate pan drums, like the one featured here.

05/07/21 Bright Sheng - String Quartet No. 3

Before emigrating to the U.S., Sheng studied and collected folk music in China and Tibet. He has also worked on the Silk Road Project.