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Timothy Albrecht
Neue amerikanische Orgelmusik (Recent American Organmusic)
Timothy Albrecht, Professor of Music
In this hour-long lecture, Timothy Albrecht presented examples from two twenty-first century organ composition collections: Stephen Paulus' King David's Dance (2002) and Timothy Albrecht's Grace Notes XII (2003). The session, which included much interaction with the audience, attempted to identify especially rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic traits in the musical examples that might be characterized as especially "American."
Tong Soon Lee
Music and Immigrant Network in the Chinese Diaspora: Cantonese Opera in England
Tong Soon Lee, Assistant Professor of Music
Paper presented at the 4th conference of the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS4), Shanghai, China, August 20-24, 2005
This paper examines the performance practices of Cantonese opera groups in England to explore issues of identity in the diasporic experiences of Chinese immigrant communities in the United Kingdom (UK). The UK has one of the largest and oldest Chinese immigrant communities in Western Europe that dates back to the 1780s. Today, post-WW2 Cantonese-speaking Chinese from Hong Kong and the New Territories form the largest ethnic Chinese group in the UK. There are at least 15 Cantonese music groups in major cities in England that regularly practice and perform locally and throughout the country. Members from different groups frequently interact with one another through weekly visits during group practices, participation at performances, and master classes given by visiting musicians from China. Members of Cantonese music groups participate in musical activities for multiple reasons: for leisure and personal interest in Cantonese musical traditions, a desire to perform, for companionship, or to meet fellow immigrants.
Music then becomes a context that focuses these individual intentions and biographies to reinforce different social experiences: sentiments of immigrant and diasporic communities, forces of tradition and modernization, interpersonal relationships, new networks, aspirations, and opportunities. Like overseas Chinese associations, music groups cater to specific needs of their members and function as a context for the personal and collective articulation of identities. In this paper, I focus on the musical practices of first generation immigrants to explore the role of music in the Chinese diaspora.