Shuying Li
guest composer
Brittany Trotter, flute
Nicolasa Kuster, bassoon
Ricardo Martinez, Antrell Galley, Ves Turk and Ray Cruz, saxophones
Heidi Moss Erickson, soprano
Eric Dudley and Natsuki Fukasawa, piano
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
7:30 pm
Recital Hall
Weeping Bamboo (2015)
Brittany Trotter, flute
Shuying Li (b. 1989)
After Rain (2018)
Nicolasa Kuster, bassoon
Suite for Saxophones (2015)
Feeding the Spiral Reasoning the Chaos Absolution
Ricardo Martinez, soprano saxophone
Antrell Gulley, alto saxophone
Ves Turk, tenor saxophone
Ray Cruz, baritone saxophone
Scene 22 from When the Purple Mountains Burn
Heidi Moss Erickson, soprano
Chorus: Katie Pelletier, soprano; Magdelena Bowen, alto; Leo Hogan, tenor; and Landon Horstman, bass
Eric Dudley, piano
Above Home, Beyond the Sea (2019)
Natsuki Fukasawa, piano
Shuying Li is an award-winning composer whose music has been praised as “vivid, dramatic” (San Francisco Chronicle), “enjoyable” (Gramophone), and showcasing “an incredible span of a compositional toolbox” (American Record Guide). Described as “a real talent” (The Seattle Times), she writes bold, emotionally charged music that blends rich colors with compelling storytelling and connects with audiences through universal human experiences and emotions.
Originally from China, Shuying began her musical training at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music before earning a scholarship to continue her undergraduate studies at The Hartt School. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan and is currently on the faculty at California State University, Sacramento. Previously, she directed the Composition/Music Theory program at Gonzaga University and served as research faculty at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Her works have been performed by major orchestras and ensembles worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, West Edge Opera, and The President’s Own United States Marine Band. Her music is also championed by prominent chamber groups such as Windscape, Chinook Winds, Argus Quartet, Donald Sinta Quartet, and the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, as well as international ensembles including Orkest de ereprijs (Netherlands), Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Finland), ICon Arts Ensemble (Romania), Cecilia Quartet (Canada), 15.19. Ensemble (Italy), Ascanio Quartet (Italy), and Atlas Ensemble (Netherlands), among others. In addition, her works are widely performed by collegiate and professional wind ensembles and concert bands across the United States.
Shuying’s accolades include awards and grants from OPERA America, the Fromm Music Foundation, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, the Copland House Residency Award, China National Arts Fund, ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, The American Prize, International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition, International Huang Zi Composition Competition, and Melta International Composition Competition, among others. Her opera-indevelopment with librettist Julian Crouch received the OPERA America Discovery Grant and was workshopped at Houston Grand Opera.
PROGRAM NOTES
Beyond composition, Shuying is committed to fostering cultural dialogue through music. She founded the Four Corners Ensemble, dedicated to championing new works and cross-cultural storytelling, with performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, OPERA America, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She also launched the Operation Opera Festival, an annual initiative supporting composers, vocalists, and pianists in developing new chamber operas and art songs. Four Corners’ debut album, World Map, featuring a series of chamber concertos by Shuying, has received acclaim in Gramophone, American Record Guide, Pizzicato, and Take Effect.
Program notes by the composer
Weeping Bamboo
Weeping Bamboo marries live western flute performance with a prerecorded atmospheric soundscape, composed based on materials recorded by flutist Erzhan Xu using the xiao, dizi, and xun (Chinese wind instruments). The resulting piece is a journey of mystery and color, as the flute dances in counterpoint and conversation with the ethereal fixed media. The soundscape of the piece evokes the imagery of a bamboo grove, with the flute embodying the plaintive call of the weeping bamboo.
After Rain
Commissioned by bassoonist Marissa Olegario, After Rain is a musical embodiment of the serene, rejuvenating atmosphere following a downpour. In the A section, the bassoon unfolds a slow, contemplative melody, utilizing a wide range of the instrument's colors to paint a scene of tranquility and fresh air. The B section shifts gears into a rhythmically invigorating depiction of the wind that dries the humidity. This musical interpretation of nature's cycle aims to offer listeners to experience the peace and excitement of a post-rain landscape.
Suite for Saxophones
Suite for Saxophones is a three-movement work that finds inspiration in the notion of "Radical Non-Defensiveness," an important communication skill advocating openness to different perspectives. This idea is articulated in musical terms, allowing the piece to serve as a sonic guide through the process of understanding, embracing, and resolving conflicts.
PROGRAM NOTES
The first movement, "Feeding the Spiral," mirrors the intensity of conflict. It captures the spiraling cycle of defensive responses, reflecting the discord and tension that arises from contradictions and disagreements.
"Reasoning the Chaos," the second movement, embodies the process of working through confusion and chaos. Presented as a fugue that is frequently interrupted, it ultimately finds order, mirroring the journey from contention towards comprehension and agreement.
The final movement, "Absolution," uses aleatoric notation to depict resolution and tranquility. The harmony, more consonant than in the preceding movements, signals a return to equilibrium, representing the cathartic calm that follows the resolution of conflict.
Suite for Saxophones was awarded First Place in the 2016 Michigan Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer Competition and was a runner-up in the 2015 Donald Sinta Quartet Commissioning Competition.
When the Purple Mountains Burn
The opera When the Purple Mountains Burn is a collaboration between composer Shuying Li and librettist, stage designer, and director Julian Crouch. The opera delves into the connection between Iris Chang and Shiro Azuma in relation to the Nanking Massacre that occurred in China during World War II. Iris Chang, an American Chinese best-selling author, wrote The Rape of Nanking, which profoundly impacted the perception of the Second World War in Asia. After exposing these brutal truths, she fell into depression and tragically committed suicide at age 36. Shiro Azuma, on the other hand, was a Japanese soldier who openly confessed to participating in war crimes against the Chinese during World War II.
The opera examines questions of social justice and humanity: What is it within us that allows one part of humanity to mercilessly devastate another? The story intertwines the powerful message of a journalist and the deep confession of a soldier to create a universal narrative that resonates with all. The fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, narrated by Iris's mother Ying Ying, serves as a poetic device to connect the two main characters.
PROGRAM NOTES
Above Home, Beyond the Sea
Commissioned by pianist Annie Jeng, Above Home, Beyond the Sea resonates with personal stories and cultural heritage, framed around the famous Chinese folk song Da Hai (Ocean, My Mother). A symbol of Jeng's bi-cultural identity, the piece reflects her experience as a child of Taiwanese immigrants, rooted both in American life and Chinese tradition, unified by music.
The melody, a familiar tune in her mother's choir, the Glorystar Children's Chorus, holds an additional layer of poignancy. It stands as a tribute to a loved family friend, an 'unofficial aunt,' who passionately loved "Da Hai" and tragically lost her life.
Above Home, Beyond the Sea expands on the original song and captures the complex emotions associated with loss, memory, and cultural identity. The myriad feelings of nostalgia, grief, and bittersweet remembrance are echoed within the notes, rendering this a melodic memoir.
This piece was premiered by Annie Jeng at the University of Michigan on February 26, 2019, as part to fulfill her DMA degree requirement.
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