Solo Travels/Diasporic Journeys

Seattle Modern Orchestra’s season closer traces elements of movement and migration through an Asian diasporic lens. Fujikura’s concerto was inspired by Polynesian wayfinding / star navigation and features longtime SMO violist Erin Wight. Baldwin Giang joins SMO on pipa in his own concerto, Pipa Boy, accompanied by a film of the composer in places where he has lived, exploring ways identity needs to be interpreted and negotiated. The work explores belonging across cultures and distance, revealing that the pipa is as much a product of human migration as an individual. Quijiang Levi Lu’s Tri experiments with guided improvisation in a shifting listening environment. As restrictions are gradually placed on their perception, the audience witnesses their journey via a projected, animated score.

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Program:

BALDWIN GIANG: Pipa Boy (chamber version) (2024) – Baldwin Giang, pipa
DAI FUJIKURA: Wayfinder – Viola Concerto (ensemble version) (2020) – U.S. Premiere – Erin Wight, viola
QIUJIANG LEVI LU: Tri for three improvisers (2023)