Sound, Voice, Strings: Compositions for Traditional East Asian Instruments

About

An evening of new music for stringed traditional East Asian instruments. Featuring Katherine Whatley (koto and voice), Southeast of Rain (pipa, voice, electronics), and Stella Da Yun Song (haegeum).

About the performers and pieces:

Katherine Whatley

Katherine Whatley is a koto musician, composer, and PhD Candidate in East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University. She plays both traditional and experimental koto, both improvised and composed. Her compositions have been performed by the Stanford New Ensemble and the Earplay Ensemble. She has performed in a variety of contexts including at the Good Shepherd Center (Seattle), Columbia University (New York), on tour across Japan and in Berlin.

Her dissertation analyzes music and soundscape in medieval Japanese literature. Her research has previously been published in The February Journal, positions, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, and Migrating Minds. As a journalist, she has worked with the BBC, Dwell, Conde Nast, New York Times, the Japan Times, and others.

今、箏ひびき(Ima Koto Hibiki)—Now, Here Koto Sings

This piece for 13-string koto and voice is based on Ryōjin Hisho, a 12th-century collection of imayō (popular songs). Ryōjin Hisho draws from songs taught to the emperor by Otomae, a courtesan. Because no original scores remain, this composition starts from this point of unknown to have a conversation across time. The piece is designed to encourage improvisation, with modular components that can be played in different orders and differing tempos as the performer wishes. This work is part of Katherine Whatley’s dissertation.

Southeast of Rain

Southeast of Rain (东南有雨) is an experimental/electro-acoustic duo formed by Sophia Shen and Lemon Guo, two composers and sound artists who work in the interstices of multiple genres. They create otherworldly soundscapes with the shimmering textures of Sophia Shen’s pipa (a Chinese string instrument), evocative cores of Lemon Guo’s vocals, and immersive electronics whimsically processed out of field recordings. Their work travels freely yet subtly between intimate acoustic improvisations, ambient atmospheres, and elaborate sonic explorations with epic arcs while paying homage to the affinity with nature found in traditional Chinese music.

“Weaving magic from the mundane” (Songlines Magazine), Southeast of Rain released their self-produced debut album 42 Days in January 2021 to critical acclaim. It was hailed as “a collaborative gem and a highlight among this year’s new releases... inspires a sort of breathless introspection–a meditation on the perception of time and space in sound” (I Care If You Listen). 42 Days has been featured on BBC Radio 3, BBC Sound, NTS Radio, Montez Press Radio, Framework Radio, International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), Broadway World, Tone Glow, New York Music Daily, amongst others.