https://music.rice.edu/Classical-Contemporary-and-Cross-Cultural-Music-and-Theater
Common Practice 21C: Classical, Contemporary, Cross-cultural Asian Music and Theater Festival
Common Practice 21C: Classical, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Music (abbreviated as, "21C") is a performing arts festival in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2015 by Taiwanese-American composer Shih-Hui Chen. The three-day festival fosters intercultural exchange through a series of lectures, workshops, and performances that demonstrate traditional and modern performance. An array of musicians from different countries and practices meet to devise a global perspective of music that looks forward into the Twenty-first Century. Works and ideas presented at the festival embrace fusion of traditional Asian musical cultures with western art practices. Previous festivals have been centered on Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, and Turkish cultures. In 2017, a CD titled “Crossing” was released by the Albany Records as a result of the festival.
The festival is supported by the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, and Asia Society Texas Center.
_____
Performances
Each iteration of 21C includes guest performers, lecturers, and composers, as well as Shepherd School of Music students and faculty.
2019
October 25-26: "Sheng, reimagined"
Locations: James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace at the Suzanne Deal Booth Centennial Pavillion, Rice University, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and Asia Society Texas Center.
Guest Performers
- Shawn Conley, double bass.
- Wu Wei, sheng.
- Kurt Stallmann, piano.
Composers: Grace Ann Lee, Jake Sandridge, Nicky Sohn, Max Vinetz, Daniel Zlatkin, Shih-Hui Chen, Kurt Stallmann.
April 12-13: "Voices of Korea"
Location: Rice Memorial Chapel and the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
Guest Performers
- Yi Ho Ahn, P'ansori.
- Woonjung Sim, Janggu.
- Eunsun Jung, Gayageum.
Composers: Hwang Byungki, Jihkyun Kim, Shinuh Lee.
2018
November 9 & 11: "The Timeless Music Traditions of Korea"
Location: Asia Society Texas Center and the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
Guest Performers
- Sanghun Kim, ajaeng.
- Donghoon Kim, ajaeng.
- Chan E. Park, pansori.
Composers: Uzong Choe, Erin Graham, Hi-Kyung Kim, Jihyun Kim, Patrick Lenz, Niko Yamamoto, Hongwoo Yim.
September 6-7: "Echoes from Within: a Musical Response to Cy Twombly"
Location: Cy Twombly Gallery at The Menil Collection, Houston, TX.
Guest Performers
- Shawn Conley, double bass.
- Kurt Stallmann, electronics.
- Wu Wei, sheng.
Composers: Shih-Hui Chen, Kurt Stallmann.
2017
October 20 & 21: "Performing Asia: Artists from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music"
Location: Asia Society Texas Center and the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
Guest Performers
- Qi Yao, zheng.
- Hua Yifei, sheng.
Composers: Weiyi Dai, Dongyong Ji, Tiantian Wang, Deqing Wen, Shuya Xu, Guohui Ye, Xianglin Zhou.
September 15-16: "Performing Asia: Music of Turkey"
Location: Asia Society Texas Center and the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.
Guest Performers
- Ismail Lumanovski, clarinet.
- Ayşe Taşpınar, piano.
- Hoppa Project.
Composers: Erberk Eryılmaz, Kamran Ince, Önder Özkoç.
April 7 - 14: "Classical, Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Asian Music and Theater" (concert tour.)
Locations: Southern Illinois University, Rice University, and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Guest Performers
Members of the Little Giant Chinese Orchestra.
Composers: Shih-Hui Chen, Lei Liang, Robert McClure, Timothy Roy, Kurt Stallmann, Christopher Walczak.
2016
October 18-30: "Classical, Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Asian Music and Theater" (concert tour.)
Locations: Asia Society Texas Center, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Shepherd School of Music (Rice University), Voices of Change (Dallas), Michigan State University, Northern Illinois University, Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Guest Performers
- Lâm-hun Koh Nangun Music and Theater Troupe
- Avalon String Quartet
- Formosa Quartet.
- Loop 38. Jerry Hou, conductor.
- Voices of Change.
Composers: Shih-Hui Chen, Ching-Yu Hsiau, Ling-Huei Tsai.
September 23: "Classical, Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Asian Music"
Locations: Asia Society Texas Center and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
Guest Performers
IIIZ+ ("three zee plus") featuring:
- Jocelyn Clark, Gayageum.
- Miki Maruta, Koto.
- Jay Lai, Zheng.
- Jong Hun Jo, Janggu.
Composers: Erberk Eryilmaz, Moni (Jasmine) Guo, Stefan Hakenber, Jihyun Kim, Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, Ben Morris.
2015
March 13-15: "Classical, Contemporary and Cross-Cultural Asian Music"
Guest Performers
Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taiwan). Chin-Sheng Chen, director.
- Jiuan-Reng Yeh, guzheng soloist
- Chia-Ning Liang, pipa soloist
Composers: Ching-Wen Chao, Chen Yi, Kee-Yong Chong, Chen-Hui Jen, Guoping Jia, Lei Liang, Wing-Fai Law, Mei-Fang Lin, Ting-Yi Ma, Koji Nakano, Jacob Sudol, Michael Timpson, Yip-Fat Tsang, Yu-Chung Tseng, and Shuya Xu.
_____
Course Development
A companion course of the same name was developed by Dr. Shih-Hui Chen for Rice University in 2016. A collaborative effort among the Shepherd School of Music, the Chao Center for Asian Studies, and Asia Society Texas Center, this course is open to all students at Rice University regardless of artistic background. Students are introduced to an Asian country’s traditional music (based on the country focus for the semester), culture, and philosophy to ultimately engage with practitioners in a series of workshops and performances.
_____
External resources
YouTube: [Interview and preview of, "Echoes from Within: a Musical Response to Cy Twombly."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_n6ROEi-PE&t=11s) Video produced by The Menil Collection, 2018.
Shih-Hui Chen (https://www.shihhuichen.com)