March 2 – Happy Thursday! I am pleased to share two new videos of premieres that happened recently. Coincidentally, both are works involving voice and poetry! The first is a song cycle commissioned by my friend Jialiang Zhu for soprano and piano, titled Clouds are the Language of the Sky which sets beautiful poetry by Edith Qing Yang. I am so grateful for the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting this commission, to Jialiang and Emily for their wonderful performance, and for Jialiang’s husband Yang for videography and subtitling.
The second video comes from the Gabriela Lena Frank Academy of Music where I was a composer fellow for the 2021-22 season. I was able to collaborate with fantastic musicians César Aguilar, Matthew Worth, Doori Na, Jonah Sirota, and Gregory Beaver and write a new work for countertenor, baritone & string trio titled Eternal Peace.
I also wrote a short blog post detailing my learnings over the course of my residency. Titled “Five things I Learnt from GLFACM“, it was a reflection of the circumstances and thoughts that occurred to me during the process of composition and collaborating with others. I want to thank Gabriela Lena Frank for her generosity and mentorship in giving space for me to write and explore, and for the GLFCAM staff (you know who you are!) for their indispensable assistance every step of the way.
The composition and premiere of “Eternal Peace” and attendance at the Gabriela Lena Franck Academy would not be possible without the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council. I am grateful for their continued support and commitment to the arts across Canada.
Roydon Tse 