I was honoured to be invited to give the keynote lecture at the 23rd International Music Theory Conference: Principles of Music Composing- “National Versus Global”, held at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) from November 15th to 17th 2023. The title of my lecture was Composition as an extension of ethnomusicology: the channelling of traditional gestures and embellishments of six schools of guzheng playing in “Hook” for solo guzheng, and the possible role of machine learning as an extension of “transcription” in compositional practice. I was very touched and very surprised by everyone’s reaction to my lecture. I’m so glad my music and my ideas resonated powerfully with people.
Discussion with session chair, Charis Efthimiou.Post-conference photo with the conference organiser, Andrius Maslekovas (left), Marius Baranauskas (right), and Rimantas Janeliauskas (centre right)
The paper, pending peer review, will hopefully be published in the journal Principles of Music Composing.
In addition to the keynote lecture, I also had the responsibility of chairing two sessions of conference papers on the first day of the conference, seven papers in total, most of which were of an impressive standard and featured fascinating research into different aspects of aesthetic philosophy and contemporary and twentieth century music. It was quite a challenge, but a very satisfying one!
My stint as chair for the first day’s sessions
Listening to Charis Efthimiou’s fascinating presentation on the neglected orchestral tone poem “Jūra” by Čiurlionis
I was invited to share some of my music for Chinese instruments in the afternoon panel discussion, “Folk instruments in contemporary contexts”. It was exciting to be presenting alongside distinguished other guests and eminent figures in Baltic musical life, Aistė Bružaitė, Mārtiņš Viļums, and Rytis Mažulis, in a discussion which, chaired by Andrius Maslekovas, everyone enjoyed so much that it went on past the scheduled time and well into the evening.
Sharing my compositions “Walking by Willow Creek” and “Songs of the Raccoon Dogs” at the afternoon/evening colloquium, “Folk Instruments in Contemporary Contexts”.
I was proud to be representing the Nanhua University Department of Ethnomusicology at an academic event with such a long history. Many thanks to the Lithuanian Composers’ Union for their support in getting me to Vilnius. I think it was my fifth or even sixth visit to Lithuania, but it had been 11 1/2 years since my previous one. I hope it will not be over a decade before I visit beautiful, beloved Vilnius again.
Reminiscing at the Lithuanian Composers’ Union.At the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania
The conference poster posted at the Academy entrance.
My first sight of the Academy in over a decade, having just got off the bus from the airport
