Composing Music Between Countries
1:00 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9, 2007
Webster Hall Auditorium
Admission: free

Dr. Zhou explains the concept behind his lecture: “Thinking about what we could do to share different cultures in our new society, I have been composing music seriously to achieve my goal of improving the understanding between peoples from various backgrounds. My conceptions have often come from ancient Chinese poetry. There are musical traits directly reminiscent of ancient China: sensitive melodies, expressive glissandi in various statements, and, in particular, a peculiarly Chinese undercurrent of tranquility and meditation. The cross-fertilization of color, material, and technique, and on a deeper level, cultural heritage, makes for challenging work.”

Zhou Long is recognized internationally for creating a unique body of music that brings together the aesthetic concepts and musical elements of East and West. Deeply grounded in the spectrum of his Chinese heritage — particularly its philosophical and spiritual ideals — he is a pioneer in combining the idiomatic sounds and techniques of ancient Chinese musical traditions with contemporary Western ensembles and compositional forms. His creative vision has resulted in a new music that achieves an exciting and fertile common ground. A member of the first composition class at the reopened Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Dr. Zhou came to the United States in 1985 on a fellowship at Columbia University, where he studied with Chou Wen-Chung, Mario Davidovsky, and George Edwards. Dr. Zhou is currently a visiting professor of composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music.