Chen Yi () (born April 4, 1953) is a Chinese-American

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/compose ...

and composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), modern forms of Post-tonal music theory, post-tonal music after th ...

. She was the first Chinese woman to receive a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(M.A.) in music composition from the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Statio ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. Chen was a finalist for the 2006

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

for her composition Si Ji (Four Seasons), and has received awards from the Koussevistky Music Foundation and American Academy of Arts and Letters (Lieberson Award), as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2010, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

and in 2012, she was awarded the

Brock Commission The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...

from the American Choral Directors Association. She was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

in 2019.

Early life

Chen Yi and her siblings began studying classical music at age three as their parents were lovers of the genre. She began learning on piano and at age 4 was introduced to violin. She memorized works by classical composers like Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky and was able to sing their compositions note for note. As a teenager during the Cultural Revolution, classical music was prohibited, and she was taken to the countryside to be 'reeducated' as a farmer. At age 17, she came to Beijing to be concert master to the Peking Opera.

Career

Chen lived for many years in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and studied composition with

Chou Wen-chung Chou Wen-chung (; July 28, 1923 – October 25, 2019) was a Chinese American composer of contemporary classical music. He emigrated in 1946 to the United States and received his music training at the New England Conservatory and Columbia Univer ...

and Mario Davidovsky at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, earning a

DMA DMA may refer to: Arts * DMA (magazine), ''DMA'' (magazine), a defunct dance music magazine * Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, US * Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark * BT Digital Music Awards, an annual event in the U ...

with distinction. Her husband is the composer Zhou Long. As of 2006, both Chen and Zhou are professors of composition at the

University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...

Conservatory of Music and Dance. Alongside a great number of orchestral works, Chen has also made many contributions to the choral repertoire and the chamber music repertoire, including works written for traditional Chinese instruments. Chen's works are published by the

Theodore Presser Company The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music pub ...

Works

Solo

*Ba Ban, for piano (1999) *Bamboo Dance, for solo piano (2014) *Duo Ye, for piano (2000) *Guessing, for piano (2000) *Ji-Dong-Nuo, for piano (2007) *Jing Marimba, for solo marimba (2010) *Memory, for solo cello (2011) *Memory, for solo flute (2011) *Memory, for solo violin (2011) *Monologue (Impressions on 'The True Story Of Ah Q'), for unaccompanied alto saxophone (2000) *Monologue (Impressions on 'The True Story of Ah Q'), for unaccompanied B-flat clarinet (2000) *Northern Scenes, for solo piano (2015) *Percussion Concerto, percussion with piano (1998) *Points, for solo pipa *Shuo Chang, for solo guitar (2014) *Singing in the Mountain, for piano (2005) *Two Chinese Bagatelles, piano solo for children (2000) *Variations on "Awariguli", for piano solo (2011)

Chamber ensemble (2 performers)

*Bright Moonlight, for voice and piano (2004) *China West Suite, for two pianos *China West Suite, for marimba and piano (2009) *Ancient Dances, for pipa and percussion *Meditation, two songs for voice and piano (2006) *Chinese Ancient Dances, for B-flat clarinet and piano (2006) *Chinese Ancient Dances, for soprano saxophone and piano (2006) *Three Bagatelles from China West, for B-flat (or E-flat) clarinet and piano (2009) *Fisherman's Song, for violin and piano (1999) *The Golden Flute, solo flute with piano reduction (1999) *Happy Tune (III. Dou Duo from 'Three Bagatelles'), for two cellos *Romance and Dance, for violin and piano (2001) *Eight Visions, a new anthology for flute and piano (2009) *From Old Peking Folklore, for violin and piano (2009) *Three Bagatelles from China West, duet for flute and piano *Seven Muses, a contemporary anthology for flute and piano (1986) *The Soulful and The Perpetual, for alto saxophone and piano (2013) *Three Bagatelles from China West, for flute and guitar *Three Bagatelles from China West, for contrabass and piano *Romance of Hsiao and Ch'In, for cello and piano (2001) *Three Bagatelles from China West, for violin and cello *Ox Tail Dance (No. 1 from Chinese Ancient Dances), for horn and piano (2006) *Three Bagatelles from China West, for flute and B-flat clarinet *Three Bagatelles, for guanzi and sheng

Chamber ensemble (3 or more performers)

*As in a Dream, for violin, cello, and soprano *As in a Dream, for soprano, pipa, and zheng *As Like A Raging Fire, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano *At the Kansas City Chinese New Year Concert, for string quartet *Blue Dragon Sword Dance (from "At the Kansas City Chinese New Year Concert"), for string quartet *Burning, for string quartet (2004) *Chinese Fables, for erhu, pipa, cello, and percussion *Eleanor's Gift, for cello, percussion, and piano *Feng, for woodwind quintet *Fiddle Suite, for huqin and string quartet *From the Path of Beauty, for string quartet *The Han Figurines, for violin, B-flat clarinet, B-flat tenor saxophone, double bass, piano, and percussion *Happy Rain On A Spring Night, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano *Joy of the Reunion, for oboe, violin, viola, and double bass *Near Distance, for chamber ensemble *Night Thoughts, for flute, cello, and piano (2004) *Ning, for violin, cello, and pipa *Not Alone, for SATB saxophone quartet (2017) *Qi, for flute, cello, percussion, and piano *Septet, for erhu, pipa, percussion, and saxophone quartet *Shuo, for string quartet *Song In Winter, for di, zheng, and harpsichord *Song In Winter, for flute, zheng, piano, and percussion *Sound of the Five, for solo cello and string quartet *Sparkle (Octet), for flute (doubling piccolo), E-flat clarinet, two percussionists, piano, violin, cello and double bass *Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds *Three Dances from China South, for dizi, erhu, pipa, and zheng *Tibetan Tunes, for piano trio (2008) *Tunes From My Home, trio for violin, cello, and piano *Woodwind Quintet *Woodwind Quintet No. 3 (Suite From China West for Woodwind Quintet) *Wu Yu, for flute, clarinet, bassoon, percussion, violin, and cello *Wu Yu, for flute, clarinet, oboe, violin, viola, violoncello, and contrabass *Xian Shi, for viola, piano, and percussion *YangKo, for solo violin and two percussionists

Vocal/Choral

*Angel Island Passages, for children's choir and string quartet *Arirang, for a cappella SATB chorus (1999) *The Bronze Taotie (Movement 1 From "From The Path Of Beauty"), for mixed chorus *Capriccio, for SATB chorus, solo percussion, and organ *Chinese Mountain Songs, for a cappella treble chorus (2002) *Chinese Poems, for SSAA chorus (2000) *Distance Can't Keep Us Two Apart, for a capella SATB chorus (2012) *From the Path of Beauty, for SATB chorus and string quartet *A Horseherd's Mountain Song (From "Two Chinese Folk Songs"), for a cappella SATB chorus (2006) *I Hear The Siren's Call, for a cappella SATB chorus (2013) *Know You How Many Petals Falling?, for a cappella SATB chorus (2003) *Landscape, for a cappella SATB chorus (2004) *Let's Reach A New Height, for a cappella SATB chorus (2013) *Looking At The Sea, for a cappella SSA chorus *Sakura, Sakura, for a cappella SATBB chorus (1999) *A Set Of Chinese Folk Songs, for men's chorus *A Set Of Chinese Folk Songs (Volume 1), for SATB chorus and optional piano (1994) *A Set Of Chinese Folk Songs (Volume 2), for SATB chorus and optional piano (1994) *A Set Of Chinese Folk Songs (Volume 3), for SATB chorus and optional piano (1998) *Shady Grove, for a cappella SATB chorus (2004) *A Single Bamboo Can Easily Bend (From "Two Chinese Folk Songs"), for a cappella SATB chorus (2006) *Spring Dreams, for a cappella SSAATTBB chorus (1999) *Spring Rain, for a cappella SATB chorus (2011) *Tang Poems, for a cappella male choir *To The New Millennium, for soprano solo, mezzo-soprano solo, and a cappella SATB chorus (2002) *Two Chinese Folk Songs (1. The Flowing Stream, 2. The Sun Is Rising With Our Joy), for SSAATTBB chorus *The West Lake, for a cappella SATB chorus (2004) *With Flowers Blooming, for a cappella SSA chorus (2011) *Written On A Rainy Night (From Tang Poems), for a cappella SATB chorus (1995) *Written On A Rainy Night, for a cappella men's chorus *Xuan, for a cappella SATB chorus (2002)

Chorus and ensemble

*Chinese Myths Cantata *Early Spring, for mixed choir and chamber ensemble *From the Path of Beauty, for mixed choir and string quartet *KC Capriccio, for wind ensemble and mixed chorus *A Set of Chinese Folk Songs, for children's SA(T) chorus and strings *Tang Poems Cantata, for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra

Orchestra

*Blue, Blue Sky, large orchestra (2012) *Caramoor's Summer, chamber orchestra (2014) *Celebration, large orchestra (2014) *Duo Ye, chamber orchestra (1985) *Duo Ye No. 2, full orchestra (1987) *Faith and Perseverance, large orchestra *Fountains Of KC, large orchestra (2011) *Ge Xu (Antiphony), large orchestra (2014) *Jing Diao, large orchestra (2011) *The Linear, large orchestra (1994) *Momentum, large orchestra (1998) *Mount a Long Wind, large orchestra (2010) *Overture, youth orchestra (2008) *Prelude and Fugue, chamber orchestra (2009) *Prospect Overture, large orchestra (2008) *Rhyme of Fire, large orchestra (2008) *Shuo, string orchestra (1994) *Si Ji (Four Seasons), large orchestra (2005) *Sprout, string orchestra (1986) *Symphony No. 4 'Humen 1839', large orchestra (2009) *Symphony No. 2, large orchestra (1993) *Symphony No. 3, large orchestra (2003–04) *Tone Poem, chamber orchestra *Tu, for orchestra

Orchestra with soloist(s)

*The Ancient Beauty *The Ancient Chinese Beauty, for recorders and string orchestra *Ba Yin (The Eight Sounds), for saxophone quartet and string orchestra *Ballad, Dance and Fantasy, for cello and orchestra *Chinese Folk Dance Suite, for violin and orchestra *Chinese Rap, for violin and orchestra *Concerto for Reeds, for oboe, sheng, and chamber orchestra *Dunhuang Fantasy, concerto for organ and chamber wind ensemble *Eleanor's Gift, for solo cello and orchestra *Fiddle Suite, for huqin and orchestra *Fiddle Suite, for huqin and string orchestra *Four Spirits, concerto for piano and orchestra *The Golden Flute, concerto for flute and orchestra *Percussion Concerto, for solo percussion and orchestra *Piano Concerto *Romance and Dance, for two solo violins and string orchestra *Romance of Hsiao and Ch'in (First Movement of "Romance and Dance"), for two violins and string orchestra *Southern Scenes, a double concerto for flute, pipa, and orchestra *Spring in Dresden, for violin and orchestra *Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds *Xian Shi, for viola and orchestra

Band/Wind ensemble

*Ba Yin (The Eight Sounds), for saxophone quartet and wind ensemble *Dragon Rhyme, for symphonic band *Spring Festival, for symphonic band *Suite From China West, for wind ensemble *Tu, for wind ensemble *Wind, for wind ensemble

References

* Liner Notes, Chen Yi'
''Sound of the Five''

External links

Chen Yi's page at Theodore Presser Company

December 14, 2005

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Yi 1953 births Living people Musicians from Guangzhou Central Conservatory of Music alumni Columbia University alumni 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Cantonese people Chinese classical violinists People's Republic of China composers Musicians from New York (state) University of Missouri–Kansas City faculty Chinese women classical composers Educators from Guangdong Chinese classical composers Sent-down youths 21st-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century classical violinists 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers 21st-century American violinists