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Program Note
"Performing Real" offers a unique exploration of performance and perception. Through the lens of a camera, the piece captures the nuanced gestures of performers striving to maintain specific fingerings under scrutiny. The camera, metaphorically embodying a 'spectator,' unveils a public image of the performers.
The trio of flute, clarinet, and vibraphone represent the 'performers,' each adhering to fixed gestures. When the camera's gaze is present, they not only maintain these gestures but also experiment with different sounds using techniques like harmonics, articulation and fingering similarity. Conversely, when not in the camera's gaze, the instruments break free, exploring a wider range of sonic possibilities.
Yenhsing Chen is a Baltimore-based Taiwanese composer. He has been a DMA student at The Peabody Institute since 2023. While sound and scenes of nature have inspired his works constantly, he has been finding ways to put sounds together, that are similar to how natural sound constitutes such as overtone series or how natural scenes operate. He regards composing music as a way to understand the nature of men, to depict the longing for eternity inside men, and to highlight the conflicts between men and their surroundings. His music features rich harmony, perpetual motion, and dramatic moments.
Jiangshengyu Nova Pan is a moving image and installation artist. She was born in Hangzhou, China, and currently lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. Nova earned her MFA degree from Maryland Institute College of Art. Jiangshengyu Nova Pan’s work focuses on human mobility. Working from the perspective of the individual, at times the artist herself, Pan’s work explores the profound transformations of space, power relations, and social networks faced by a mobile population.
Pan’s works have been shown and screened including New Works, Baltimore, NoMuNoMu space in Baltimore, Meyerhoff Gallery in Baltimore, London Design Museum in London, and 1650 Gallery in Los Angeles. Pan has received recognition for her artistic endeavors, such as the Eisenstein-Zimelman Award for Time-Based Media in 2023, the Meyerhoff Fellowship in 2022, and the Mount Royal Community Award in 2021.