Seoul, Korea June 19-July 2 International Gugak Workshop Week 1

From June 19-July 1 I will be participating in the 2011 International Gugak Workshop in Seoul, Korea. I participated in this workshop in 2005 when I was a graduate student at U. Hawaii, Manoa. In 2005 the workshop was three weeks long. Now it is just two weeks long, but the content of the program is similar. This workshop consists of lectures on Korean music and dance, including applied instruction in traditional Korean instruments as well as various field trips. Lecture topics include Korean music history, ritual court music, shamanic ritual music, and folk music, among others. It is held at the The National Center for the Korean Traditional Performing Arts. There are nineteen participants from around the world, and hosts have been extremely generous in providing us with countless numbers of books and recordings of traditional Korean music. 

National Center for the Korean Traditional Performance Arts

My arrival at Incheon International Airport was simple. I passed through immigration, customs, retrieved my luggage, withdrew cash from an ATM, rented a cell phone, and purchased my bus ticket to downtown Seoul within 45 minutes after my flight from Shanghai landed. I reserved a flight that would get me into Seoul in the mid-afternoon so I would have a few hours to get settled before around 8:00PM orientation meeting in the cafe downstairs from the Provista Hotel.  However, my flight on China Eastern Airlines was two hours late taking off and I didn’t land until 5:40PM or so. Miraculously, due to the efficiency of Incheon International mentioned above, I managed to check-in to the hotel shortly after 7:30PM, and after taking a quick shower ran downstairs for the orientation. We really have a fabulous group of participants. Everyone is extremely friendly and luckily there are no complainers in the group. I’ve been enjoying getting to know Henry Spiller from UC Davis and Christopher Shultis from the University of New Mexico, and there are three women from Shanghai Conservatory of Music who really enliven the group atmosphere. 

During our first week, in the mornings we had classes on the history of Korean traditional music, court music, and folk music, and religious music. Most of our afternoons have been spend learning the kayagum, changgo, and danso. Last time I took this workshop I focused on the changgo, because I thought it would give me a broad understanding of Korean music since it is present in nearly every genre except p’ansori, which is accompanied by a puk. However, since I will be studying intensive kayagum with Yi Ji-Young in July, I really appreciated to learn the basics of kayagum technique. Our kayagum teacher, Sooeun Kwak is such an elegant and graceful woman, and I enjoyed her classes. Since the kayagum is played with bare fingers rather than picks like the Japanese koto, I found it a but easier to play. However, my fingers didn’t seem  to like the silk strings, and I had to apply protective tape before three fingers on my right hand became disabled due to blisters. The tone quality of the kayagum is softer, rounder, and somehow more “earthy” than the koto. Due to the playing technique, it may not be as agile as the koto, but I’m sure it has other strengths and unique characteristics. The basic tuning is a mode 4 pentatonic scale of G-A-C-D-E over 12 strings. It is played with the thumb (1), index (2), and middle finger (3). The index finger seem to get most of the action, and while the basic technique simply involves plucking the string from below, you can also “flick” the string, which results in a subtle change of timbre. The right hand is used for vibrato and other pressing techniques, although we didn’t get to far with L.H. technique in our classes. Since I’ve studied changgo before most of the changdan patterns were a review for me.

Kayagum

 We also had a class in danso, the end-blown bamboo flute. I found the danso quite easy to play since it has a mouthpiece that is shaped obliquely outward, quite similar to the shakuhachi. Within a few minutes I figured out the basic pitches and was able to play Arirang. However, I don’t really feel that the danso is a very expressive instruments. The sound is thin and high, and its small bore prevents the wide range of tonal expression that the shakuhachi has. 

We have fallen into a fairly regimented routine at this point in the workshop. The group enjoys a delicious breakfast in our hotel before boarding the bus at 9:00AM. Our lectures run from 9:30AM to 12:30PM followed by lunch in the cafeteria. Afterwards, many of us hang out in the Korea Music CD and Bookshop right across the courtyard. I have not been able to yield to temptation and have already purchased a number of books that I’m really looking forward to reading, especially Byeon Gyewon’s “Writing New Music for Korea Traditional Instruments.” In the afternoon we have our studio sessions followed by dinner in the cafeteria. Most evenings we are home by 6:30PM, but the days are so packed with activities and new information that it is simply an overload to the senses. I have had no problems sleeping since the program began. As soon as a lay down horizontally on the bed, I’m out like a light in less then ten minutes!

Samulnori rehearsal

Nearly all meals are covered by the program, although cafeteria Korean food can start to get boring after a few days. On Wednesday, June 22, I met my colleague from U. of Hawaii Sunhee Koo and Henry Spiller for dinner at a delicious Korean barbecue restaurant right across the street from our hotel. The food was very delicious, and while the individual meat platters may seem expensive (48,000 won=$48) for two people, it also includes countless numbers of side dishes, vegetables, and salads. Best of all, the side dishes are replaced immediately upon consumption! 

We had some beer and delicious black raspberry wine, which put me over the edge much more quickly than I anticipated. 

On Thursday June 22, we were given performance tickets to Miso, a theatrical production based on The Tale of Chunhyang. I was hoping for an enchanting evening, but the number of foreign tourists in the audience gave me cause for concern. While there certainly were elements of Korean dance and music–and of course costumes–in this performance, I simply felt that it was over the top and did not honor the text on which it was based. The unfolding of the drama was rushed, and in less than 45 minutes, the story was resolved. Afterwards, it was practically non-stop fortissimo Samulnori until the end of the performance. For better or worse however, this is what foreign audiences–and perhaps many Koreans too!–have come to know and become entranced by. 

Over the weekend (June 24-26), we took a field trip to Jindo Island in the southwest part of the Korea. It was a six-hour drive to reach this remote area of the country. However, there is another branch of the NCKTPA on Jindo, and this is where we stayed and our activities were based. Upon arrival, we had a changgo class for 90 minutes or so, and then after dinner enjoyed a fabulous concert of Korean traditional music in the on-site concert hall. Evidently, these concerts are held every Friday throughout the summer months and are free! The program was a broad sampling of many genres of traditional Korean music, from p’ansori, and samulnori to sanjo. As if this wasn’t enough stimulation for one day, afterwards we learned Ganggangsulle (Women’s Circle Dance), an Intangible Korean Cultural Asset, with a vibrant, enthusiastic woman who is evidently responsible for passing on this art form to the younger generations. It consisted of choreographed movements that reminds one of “ring around the rosy,” but evidently has more than 20+ “games” that one can add on to the basic circle movements for fun. I’m not sure why at 38 years old I enjoyed it so much. Perhaps it was just a way to wind down, move our bodies, and just enjoy something unexpected with a wonderful group of new friends and colleagues. 

The next day we enjoyed a lecture about traditional Korean instruments in the morning. This was one of the better lectures we’ve attended, I think, mainly because concise explanations were followed by short performance demonstrations on each of the major Korean traditional instruments. Towards the end, all of the performers took the stage again for a short performance of sinawi, perhaps my favorite genre of traditional Korean music. In the afternoon, we took a sightseeing trip around Jindo island, first stopping at a stunning overlook where various islands could be seen in the distance, followed by a visit to Ullimsanbang, named after romantic scenery of the nearby mountain peaks of Mt. Cheomchalsan. There is a traditional C-shaped tile-roofed house containing an artist workroom and an art museum containing the paintings of the Heo family. 

In the evening we were treated to another delicious dinner with plenty of red liquor (Jindo hongju). 

Afterwards, we attended a shamanic ritual ceremony or Ssitkimgut (cleansing exorcism). Evidently, a real exorcism can take anywhere from 6-8 hours, but they shortened it to 3 hours for us. The music was intoxicating, with clever changdae patterns linked effortless to sections in asymmetrical meters. The communication between the chief shaman, an 89-year old women and her three disciples was magic to behold. Pure love and respect radiated through there eyes. I was impressed by the sheer volume of the text and wondered how on earth they could memorize it. At one point in the performance the head disciple (a famous p’ansori singer) was crying. When I spoke to her afterwards she said that she is moved to tears whenever she performs with her teacher simply because she feels so blessed to have had such a special relationship with this woman for most of her adult life.

Ssitkimgut shamanic ritual ceremony

It was a deeply moving performance for me to. I managed to record the entire event in high-quality 96khz, 24 bit setting with my digital recorder and look forward editing it. My batteries in my flip drive died after 80 minutes or so.

At this point, a massive typhoon was nearing the southern tip of Korea and by the time we returned to our dorms, the winds had blown down a tree in the parking lot and caused the windows in our rooms to rattle all night. Remarkably I slept soundly through it all and somewhat enjoyed the refreshing winds. To beat the center of the typhoon, we hit the road at 9:00AM the next, and returned to Seoul just after 4:00PM.

What an incredible first week in Korea!

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 16

This past week has been busy preparing for my upcoming move to Seoul, Korea. Somehow, I managed to pick up many more kilograms of what than I imagined I would, and so I prepared a box to mail of books, CDs, and other random items to ship back to the USA. For some reason it was a half-day affair, mainly because the post office is so chaotic. There are always so many people fighting for a place in line and each customer seems to take at least 10-15 minutes to finish up their business. My box weighed 16 kilograms and cost a jaw dropping 1,600RBM ($240) to send by air. Sending it by ship may have cost much less but I didn’t inquire, because in 2005 I lost an entire box of books, valuable research materials, and teaching documents when I sent a box from Japan to Boulder, CO.

My erhu teacher, Chen Chunyuan treated Zhou Jing and I to a delicious lunch right at the corner of Dongping and Taojiang Rd., a fancy Art Deco building that I’ve always wanted to check out. The highlight of this meal was watching live shrimps get tossed into a pot of boiling water, and the waitress urging us to eat them within a few minutes when they are fresh!

This week brought torrential downpours to Shanghai, and I had fears that my last load of laundry wouldn’t dry before I had to pack everything into my suitcase. It was not only raining constantly in sheer buckets, but it was humid too, making for an unpleasant week running around doing errands for my onward journey to Korea. As a result of the rain, I made extensive use of mealbay.net, an online delivery service that will pick up and delivery food from your restaurant for just 20RMB. I did manage to get in 4-5 yoga classes at Dharshana Healing Yoga Center and say goodbye to my new friends. My last pipa lessons with Shun Yi went well. Just as I began to feel comfortable with the pipa my lessons ended!

In summary, I lived in Shanghai for four months and learned a bit about Chinese music, learning basic technique on three representative Chinese instruments. The first two months were quite difficult, as I struggled to overcome culture shock, air pollution, and bouts of food poisoning. However, the last 6-7 weeks were quite fun indeed, even productive. If nothing else, I did manage to compose five new compositions during my residency (50 minutes of music!) during an intense five week period, almost as much as I compose during an entire year. I’m not sure if I’ll be ready to return to Shanghai anytime soon for an extended stay, but in the end I am glad that I went. If nothing else, I strengthened my relationship with Chen Chunyuan, and this a professional relationship that will likely enrich my life. All I have to do is a compose a few solid pieces for the erhu, and I’m confident that she will herald my music. 

Korea here I come!

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 15

I don’t have very much to report this week about anything new I experienced in Shanghai. Since I was plagued with air pollution sickness, food poisoning, and culture shock during my first two months in Shanghai, these last few weeks have become a mad rush to finish up a number of composition projects. The reason why I’m in such a hurry? The deadlines are self-imposed actually. Some of these compositions could be finished and send off a month from now and there would probably still leave enough time to prepare them for performance. However, when I go to Korea I anticipate being very busy with the workshop, conference, and kayagum lessons and not have access to a keyboard so composing will be very difficult.

This past week I concentrated on composing the two pieces discussed in detail in the previous blog entry: 1) A commission from the Ernest Bloch Handbell Choir and Anchor Bay Children’s Choir that will also include a solo shakuhachi based on Tanikawa Shuntarô’s poem entitled “Homework.” 2)  A trio for for soprano, 25-string koto, and shakuhachi (2.1, pitched in B) based on the a contemporary noh-inspired poem entitled 光を花と散らす(Scattering light, scattering flowers) written by Haruka (Saori) Nakanishi.

“Homework” came much faster than “Scattering light, scattering flowers.” I finished it on Saturday, June 12th, in less than a week. It was challenging composing for the handbells. I didn’t have very much in the way of compositional models besides some scores that the handbell choir director sent me. Using a combination of the textures found in these scores fused with my harmonic language, somehow I was able to produce a shimmering accompaniment to this profound text. It will be premiered on October 30th in Gualala, CA and I’m very excited.

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 14

As my time in Shanghai quickly nears to a close, I find myself in a mad rush to finish up a number of composition projects. So far I have been able to stay on my proposed schedule. There is no time for sightseeing or spending in inordinate amount of time to make a “perfect” decision. Composition, after all, is simply a process of making countless numbers of decisions. At this point, I can’t wait for inspiration, as the deadlines are quickly approaching. In some ways these are self-imposed deadlines, because once I go to Korea on June 19th I don’t anticipate having access to a piano or having time to compose for five weeks. The first two weeks I’ll be attending the International Gugak Workshop (June 19th-July 2nd), followed by the International College Music Conference (July 3rd-10th). After returning from Gyeongu on July 11th I’ll begin my kagagum studies with Ji-Young Yi. 

This week (May 30th-June 5th) I began work on a new composition project, a solo 21-string koto piece for my AURA-J colleague Erina Matsumura. No sooner than I was contemplating whether not to write to Erina and tell her that I couldn’t finish the piece in time for her CD recording session in the middle of June (yikes!) than the piece came. It is a bit minimalist in nature, which suits the kind of piece that she was hoping for. Like Summer Dances and Frolicking with the Birds the piece employs extensive use of mixed meter and is based on a bouncy ostinato that become the primary motive for the piece. There are some really interesting moments rhythmically in the piece and it has a distinct form that should be readily transmitted upon a first hearing. Although there was a time when I insisted that through-composed compositions were my “form” of choice because I actively sought to rebel against traditional forms, these days I have embraced form and emphasized its importance,–not necessarily traditional forms like sonata or rondo–and I believe that this has made a difference in the quality of my creative work. At any rate, I entitled the piece Shadows of the Flames （炎影）and sent it off to Erina yesterday. Erina asked for a piece that was 7-8 minutes long, but once I poured my self into the work and really began concentrating it practically composed itself. It is 9 minutes. The coda is quite flashy and the piece ends with a bang. I’m confident that Erina will enjoy this work. 

So now I have two more works to compose with a two-week period. I’m not sure if these projects will be the most difficult. I’ve already developed quite a momentum. Mercifully, each of these pieces have a text for me to set, and this always makes the task just a bit easier. However, one of these pieces involves an instrumentation that I’m not familiar with–handbells. This is a commission from the Ernest Bloch Handbell Choir and Anchor Bay Children’s Choir and will also include a solo shakuhachi. The text is by my favorite Japanese poet, Tanikawa Shuntarô, and is entitled “Homework.” 

_________________

目をつぶっていると

神様が見えた

うす目をあいたら

神様は見えなくなった

はっきりと目をあいて

神様は見えるか見えないか

それが宿題

With eyes closed,

I saw God.

When I peeked,

God vanished.

My homework will be to find out whether I can see God with my eyes wide open.

_________________

As you can see, it is a quite simple but beautiful and powerful text. I also believe that the message is so lucid that it will transmit well to the children. The title of the poem was one of the reasons I chose this particular text, since it will be sung by a children’s choir. How would an adult choir relate to the work “homework”? Do you know what I mean?

The other piece is entitled 光を花と散らす(Scattering light, scattering flowers) and is based on a contemporary noh-inspired poem written by Mika Kimula’s colleague Haruka (Saori) Nakanishi. This piece will be for soprano, 25-string koto, and shakuhachi (2.1, pitched in B). It will be performed on August 30th in Tokyo.

_________________

雲を分け　舟路を渡り　山を越え

草枕　夕べを重ね旅寝かな

これは旅の僧にて候　今宵も月下の仮の宿

うら淋しくも　荒れ果つる城に辿りつきにけり

思ひぞ出づる月影の　思ひぞ出づる月影の

城は光に浮かみつつ

昔恋しや　この城の　月のみ満ちて・・・

不思議やな　この荒城に人の気配のすなり

いかに　これなる尉殿　御身はこの辺の人か

さん候　この城の守人にて候

月の光に誘はれて　遥々来たりしお僧に

昔を語りばやと思ひ候

や　月こそ出でて候へ

昔この城の主は　海浜の景色を

城の内に移されたる

思ひ重なる年なみの　流るる月の影惜しき

忘れて年を経しものを　また古にかへる波音

松に吹き来る風も狂じて　あら　昔恋しや

昔恋しや

〔昔の姿に戻る〕

深淵から天体へ　つながる想ひなほ深く

月の都を海原にうつし　月下の遊舞面白き

鳥は海辺の樹に宿し

魚は月下の波に伏す

海底に伏す魚は　深淵とひとつとなりて

やがて　月を観る

魚の目にうつるは我が姿

遠き世にその名を残す月の皇子

（早舞）

雪をめぐらす雲の袖

舞を舞ひ　舞に舞はれて　秋の夜の

ながめわたせば　明月の

光を花と散らすよそほひ

浦風に心も澄みて　舞ひに舞ひ

舞に舞はれて　死と生の　あいだを舞ひて

あいだを舞ひて

一輪も降らず

萬水も昇らず

月影をめぐらす舞の袖

はや明方の雲となり雨となる

あら　名残惜しの舞姿

名残惜しの　舞姿

舞を舞ひ　舞に舞はれて

Scattering light, scattering flowers 

Traveling priest--- waki: 

Coming through the clouds, coming across the seas and over the mountains, 

I live night after night on journey with the grasses my pillow.  

I am a traveling Buddhist. This evening again, I have come to a temporary lodging in the moonlight, 

That is this, deserted, ruined castle.

Chorus/narrator(s)--- ji-utai:

Moonlight invites the memories of old days,

In which the castle rises. 

How beautiful it must have been in dear old days!  Now there is nothing but moonlight that fills in the castle...   

Traveling priest – waki: 

How wondrous!  I feel somebody is in the castle.  

Who is it?  Man, are you a neighbor around here?

Old man – shite, as mae-jite:

Certainly.  I am a caretaker of this castle.  

Invited by the moonlight, I came out here for the priest who came visit here all the way from afar,

to tell him a story of old days.  

Look!  The moon appears!

Long ago, the lord of this castle (was such an elegant aesthete who) transferred a gorgeous landscape of seashore to inside his castle. 

Years passed with memories and I miss all the moonlight passed by here.  

One forgets and makes his time go ahead though, the sound of waves repeats as if it taking me back to the past.

The wind blowing through the pine trees dances hilariously (to evoke me).  

Oh, how dear my old days!   

(The old man returned to the image of when he was young and alive.)

Lord Tohru, young prince transformed from an old man – shite, as nochi-jite:

From the abyss to the heavenly body, the minds of lives are deeply linked with each other. 

The Capital of the Moon reflects on the sea. How delightful to dance in the moonlight!

Birds stay in the trees at the beach and 

Fish sleep on the waves in the moonlight. 

The fish laid the bottom in the sea are unified themselves with the abyss, from where

They look up the moon. 

What reflects in their eyes would be my image, the image of 

The Moon Prince whose name will be heard even in the far-off future.

(Haya-mai, rapid dance)

Tohru+ Chorus/narrator(s):

Clouds are my sleeves on which the snow falls around.  

Dancing a dance and the dance making me dance in this autumn night, 

I look all around and find the clear moon

Scatters its light that looks like flower petals, down on the world, 

My heart is getting clear with the sea breeze while I dancing a dance and the dance making me dance, Dancing in between the life and the death,

Dancing in between (the abyss and the heavenly body).

Yet, the moon stays still high above the heaven and

The water stays still deep in the sea.  

The moonlight moves along the dancer’s sleeves

When the dawn has already come with clouds and raining.

Oh, what a dear image of him dancing!

What a dear image of him dancing!

He dancing a dance and the dance making him dance…

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 13

This was a quite busy week. I finally finished up my duet for Yoko Kimura and Hikaru Tamaki, and after consulting with Yoko, I entitled it Frolicking with the Birds (鳥と戯れて）. Trust me! The title is much more poetic in Japanese than in English! The gestation period for this piece took a while, but once I really started to dig in it came quite quickly. As usual, once I got past about 30-40% of the piece–in terms of performance duration–it practically composed itself. Yoko listened to the MIDI recording and seemed to enjoy it. It’s a quite exciting piece, with extensive use of mixed meter, which imparts a bouncy, playful character above expressive, soaring cello lines. I finished it on May 24th and sent it off the same day via email.

With this piece out of the way, I prepared for my lecture at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which was given on Wednesday, May 25th. I entitled the talk Cross-Cultural Approaches to Composition (作曲的跨文化取徑), mainly to attract a wider audience. The lecture really focused on my works for Japanese instruments, but Chen Chunyuan thought it would be better to choose a title that left out reference to Japan! There were a number of students there who were likely required to be there, but never the less it was well-attended and everyone was quiet and attentive. I enjoyed preparing for this lecture because it gave me a an opportunity to improve upon the presentations I gave at Taiwan University of Fine Arts and Music last month. I used Garage Band to edit my recordings and prepare excerpts of Voyage (2008) and even managed to paste the score of the entire third movement of Shakuhachi Concerto No. 1: “Southern Wind” (2008) into Keynote (50+ pages!) There weren’t any question at the end but a number of people came up afterwards and commented how much they enjoyed the music. I really worked the timing out for this presentation well. Even with the Chinese translation, I still found time to play recordings of six pieces, plus a live performance of Forest Whispers...(2008) for violoncello and shakuhachi. 

With the lecture out of the way, I spent the rest of the week working on a trio for DEN3, lead by shakuhachi performer Shôzan Tanabe. The weather over the weekend was just beautiful, and after yoga on both days I was tempted to enjoy city life. On Sunday I enjoyed my first experience of live jazz in Shanghai at JZ Club. They had a house latin band playing that night. They were quite good but the sound engineer could have done a better job at reducing the sharpness of the high range. It was simply too tinny and thin. When I arrived it was just past 10:00PM. Premium seats carry a minimum 500RMB in drinks and food, which is fine if you’re with a group. Seats off to the side have no minimum, and that’s where I sat. By 11:30PM the place was absolutely packed and although there was no smoking on the main floor, the air quality decreased noticeably, so I sat for one more tune performed by an incredibly loud brass ensemble and then walked home. What a neighborhood I live in! I rented a bike on Sunday, treated myself to a sandlewood aromatherapy massage at Zen Massage, then went to Anfu Rd. again, this time enjoying brunch at Settebello. The interior was quite refined and classy, with these majestic curtains and Victorian art adorning the walls. I ordered a ham omelette and fresh pear juice. The pear juice took forever to prepare so the owner didn’t charge me for it. In the late afternoon, I took a walk around People’s Park and up Fuzou Rd. to the Bund where a brilliant sunset greeted me. 

As of Sunday, I hadn’t reached that 30% mark for the DEN3 commission, but on Monday I really  pushed hard to at least composed to the beginning of the slow middle section. Once I reached that point, the rest of the piece came in just a couple of hours. I finished the piece on Tuesday, May 31st and sent it off to Mr. Tanabe with the parts, score, and MIDI recording. This piece, entitled Summer Dances (夏の舞）will be premiered in Tokyo on July 2nd. Like the duet I composed last week, it is quite lively, with extensive use of mixed meter and an infectious theme that seems to find its way into every nook and cranny. If anything, I could criticize myself for not developing the theme more in a various of contrasting contexts. The first five minutes of the piece are a non-stop whirlwind of energy in a driving allegro tempo, followed by a brief pastoral section and a recapitulation. A brief coda juxtaposes previously heard material as the piece races to a fiery finish. I’m not sure that this is one of my stronger pieces, but I have a feeling that the ensemble will embrace it. It’s the perfect length–just over eight minutes–and shouldn’t be so difficult to put together. It’s a crowd pleaser too, and written quite idiomatically for the instruments.

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 12

Shanghai brought me to it knees this week. On Saturday, March 14th, I rented a bicycle and rode around the French Concession, finding the boutique of Japanese designer Mayumi Sato and enjoying what seemed to be good weather. I did notice on this day that I had to stop a number of times because of dust getting into my eyes. Little did I know that the air pollution in Shanghai plummeted this day due to sandstorms from the north, and I was out biking in it without a mask. The next evening I started to feel a bit strange, and over the next two nights I endured a painful sleep, waking up regularly soaked in sweat. My throat swelled up so badly that speaking has been more or less impossible this week, and my rehearsal with I-Bai, Chen’s son and virtuosic cellist on Tuesday did not go so well because I couldn’t play more then a measure without coughing. Jing took me to the Longhua Hospital Shangai University of TCM (again!) and upon consulting with my doctor she agreed that it was most likely the air pollution that is afflicting me. I received a prescription for some Chinese herbal remedy, which more even more expensive than the last time (perhaps because of its potency?). Jing and I had lunch while waiting for the prescription to be filled and when we went to pick it up I got angry and scolded a man who attempted to cut Jing in line. I just don’t have the patience for this type of behavior anymore. In the late afternoon, I used my head/shoulder massage vouchers for Jing and I to relax at Dragonfly. 

I wish there was more to report about what on this week, but this time I was truly brought to my knees. My life is going on more or less as normal – though I canceled my applied music lessons – but everything is a struggle and my concentration is more or less shot because I felt just awful. The medicine has helped the swelling to go down but the cough remains. In addition, I think my allergies have begun to act up as well due to the pollen in the air and budding greenery all over the city, because I now have a runny nose too. I haven’t been to my gym in a while, but I have been going to yoga quite regularly (3-4 times/week). It seems to help a bit and I believe I am making some progress. My teacher Dominic even commented how my alignment is better than when I started three weeks ago. I met another American in my yoga class who told me that the first year she spent in Shanghai was just terrible, and that she finally decided to buy an air filter for her apartment. How can this protect you however, from the nonsense that floats in the air when you step outside your house?

To make things worse, on Friday, March 20th after getting up from an afternoon nap I accidentally banged my head on a cabinet in the kitchen. It was just the wrong angle too, because in addition to the bruise that one would expect from such an incident, the sharp edge of the cabinet actually wedged itself fairly deeply into my forehead. It isn’t to the point that I need stitches or anything, but the bleeding was quite bad and for the first few days it looked nasty. I have been cleaning it daily and applying bacitracin and aloe vera. Together with band aids, it is slowly healing. Pray that I don’t get a scar from this incident, a permanent reminder of my residency in Shanghai!

On Sunday, May 22nd I donned my face mask and braved the streets of Shanghai again. I spent some time exploring one of the most bustling areas of the French Concession, Anfu Rd. I stopped by Mayumi Sato’s boutique again and had brunch at Amokka Cafe, followed by a one-hour orange aroma massage at Zen Massage on nearby Wuyuan Rd. The exterior of this facility is simply stunning, with a beautiful rock garden and water flowing from the side stone walls beckoning in those who walk by. Afterwards, I found Garden Books on Changle Rd. and inquired about special ordering Shanghai Chic, since I can’t seem to find this book anywhere in Shanghai – except for at Sasha's where they are asking 300RMB (the suggested retail price is 168RMB!).


Although I missed the Shanghai World Music Festival over the weekend of May 21-22, I did manage to catch a master class Huun Huur Tu at Shanghai Conservatory of Music on May 24. This event turned out to be one of the highlights of my stay in Shanghai. What an incredible ensemble!

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 11

With David Conte and other faculty and students from the San Francisco Conservatory the week has been full of various concerts, receptions, and social events. Their visit also coincided with the annual Shanghai International Spring Music Festival.

I went to concerts on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. Sunday’s (May 8) concert featured my pipa teacher Shu Yin performing a dynamic pipa solo, and Monday’s (May 9) concert featured new works for Chinese instruments by living Chinese composers. I was most impressed by “The Silk Road” by Jiang Ying, composer in residence with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. Wednesday and Thursday’s concerts were marathon concerts, running nearly three hours each, and featured various chamber works – both from the canon and new works – performed by musicians from both Shanghai Conservatory of Music and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. David Conte’s Piano Trio received its premiere on Wednesday and was simply stunning. It had that perfect balance of variety and unity, so hard to find when working on your own composition! I also had the opportunity to meet members of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music composition faculty Deqing Wen and Lu Pei.


David and I spent some quality time together too this week. On Tuesday, March 10th, I treated the two of us to a lavender oil body massage at Dragonfly using the remaining credit on my membership card. In the afternoon we went to Tianzifang, where we had a delicious lunch at Lapis Thai, followed by shopping for his friends and family. After spending so much time with him, and others from San Francisco that he introduced me to like his student Louis Cruz, it was sad to say goodbye to them on Friday, May 13th. I suffered a brief bout of post-festival blues, but mainly was just happy to have quality exchange in my mother language with such interesting people. 

Hanging out with David Conte in Tianzifang

Shanghai, China March 1-June 19 Week 10

Almost to the day after returning back to Shanghai, I began to feel sick again. I shouldn’t blame it on the air quality in Shanghai so easily. In all likely hood, it was probably my body reacting in shock to the extreme difference in the temperature of the air. Taiwan was hot, steamy, and humid, and when I returned to Shanghai the temperature must have dropped 20-25 degrees. To tell you the truth, I welcomed this change. Taiwan was just too hot for me. I wasn’t expecting temperatures in the high 80s with such high humidity, and quickly ran out of short sleeve shirts during my stay. Mercifully I haven’t caught food poisoning since returning to Shanghai, but my nose has been stuffy and I’ve had a slight headache and cough. 

I’ve been working more seriously on my duet for Yoko and Hikaru for their upcoming summer concerts. In previous blog entries I entitled the piece “Birds Dancing.” However, Yoko recently informed me that she’d prefer another title. I have been working on this piece on and off since my arrival, and was not very satisfied with the material I developed in March-April, so I kind of started anew. I want to compose a koto part that is a bit more active and unpredictable, avoiding my tendency to rely on ostinati patterns, especially when it involves a pair like the violoncello and koto, where is it easy to rely on the violoncello to assume the melodic role while the koto provides a rhythmic and harmonic framework. Why should it be like this? Well, it doesn’t need to be, so perhaps it is taking a long time for this piece to come to fruition because I’m actively searching to do something novel–for me, that is–in my compositions.

This past weekend was really wonderful. On Friday, March 6th, I was invited to play the shakuhachi at the opening ceremony for Kazu Koikeda’s new yoga studio, Dashana, which is located just behind her restaurant, Anna Maya’s Vegetarian Cafe at No.3, Taojiang Rd. There were dozens of people in attendance and the energy was quite uplifting. I performed Honshirabe and Takeochi, and I was followed by a number of ritualistic prayers and an incredible ensemble of musicians from Italy, the USA, and Poland performing Middle Eastern music. Afterwards, there was a light reception and I met several very interesting expatriates. Despite the trouble that I’ve had adjusting to daily life here in Shanghai, for a fleeting moment I could envision how enjoyable Shanghai could be if I had a stable network of friends to spend time and share stories with. Kazu founded this yoga “space” inspired by the following concept:

Darshan(a): Vision, “viewpoint”, that is school of thought. In orthodox Hinduism, there are six darshanas, Nyâya, Vaisheshika, Sâmkhya, Yoga, Mîmânsâ and Vedânta. Darśana is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" (in the sense of an instance of seeing or beholding; from a root dṛś "to see"), vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine," e.g., of a god or a very holy person or artifact. One could "receive darshana" of the deity in the temple, or from a great saintly person, such as a great guru In the sense "to see with reverence and devotion," the term translates to hierophany and could refer either to a vision of the divine or to being in the presence of a highly revered person. In this sense it may assume a meaning closer to audience "By doing darshan properly a devotee develops affection for God, and God develops affection for that devotee." Darshan is ultimately difficult to define since it is an event in consciousness—an interaction in presence between devotee and guru; or between devotee and image or sculpture, which focuses and calls out the consciousness of the devotee. In either event, a heightening of consciousness or spirituality is the intended effect. It can also mean radiation or radiance, in the sense of a radio signal being radiated from the transmitter aerial.

I began my yoga studies anew that very afternoon with a wonderful teacher from France named Dominique. By the end of the class, she memorized my name because there were so many details she needed to advise me on! Kazu and I joked about this in the evening. Although I would hesitate to go to yoga every day instead of getting a cardiovascular workout at my gym, since it is so close I am going to try to go as often as possible–either a trip to the gym or a yoga class every day. It is amazing how much one sweats in a yoga class, although I doubt I am raising my heart rate enough to help with weight loss. Still, I am on my third day straight of yoga and I’m going to try to stick with it. David Sawyer has advised that it has brought “clarity and balance” to his life so I hope it will do the same for me. At the yoga class this morning I made friends with an American named Greg and we exchanged contact info in the hopes of hanging out in the future. 

Opening ceremony at Dharshana on May 6th, 2011

It’s probably just coincidence, but this weekend I finally started to make some progress on the violoncello and koto duet. I am hesitant to call it “Birds Dance” anymore! I sat down at the keyboard and said to myself, I’m going to compose one measure per minute for as long as I can while suppressing the critical voice in my head that give nothing but negative criticism. As my composition teacher Randolph Coleman used to say, “Make a mark.” Once I have some material down on paper, then I can filter what to built upon and develop and what to let go. If I can’t get to that stage at least than I’ll never finish the piece. I do think that the new environment I’ve placed myself into, with all of its challenges, has influenced my productivity, but there is no more time for excuses. I’ve been gifted with another month here in Shanghai so I really should work as hard as I can to make progress on a number of projects. In fact, if some of these projects don’t get finished by June 19th, I don’t foresee how they could possibly get done by the end of the summer.