The Building of a City (2019/23)

i. memories of the fishing village
ii. construction / destruction
iii. dreams
iv. futurama

For millennia past, there existed a fishing village on the banks of the Yangtze. As modernization transformed China, so too the village changed. Gone were the fishing boats and wooden structures the villagers called home. New concrete buildings took their place, housing migrant workers for nearby factories.

The village grew into a town, then a city. At one point, it was shrouded in smog; some mornings, even sunlight could not pierce through its polluted air. Toxic waste, dumped into the river, poisoned the very fish that fed the city.

Though industry threatened the city’s environment, new technologies helped save it. Wind turbines and solar panels replaced coal factories; electric power replaced fossil fuels. Skyscrapers, built entirely out of glass, reached into the aether, inviting clouds to touch their hanging gardens. The sun now rises over a glistening city on the banks of the Yangtze, a protector of its surrounding forests, hills, and waters.

Performances:

7/2023: Boston, MA
The Apollo Ensemble
Elias Miller, conductor

2/2020: Phoenix, AZ
MusicaNova Orchestra
Sam Wu, conductor

6/2019: Shanghai, China
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
Hanrich Claassen, conductor

6/2019: Hangzhou, China
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
Hanrich Claassen, conductor

6/2019: Xi’an, China
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
Hanrich Claassen, conductor

6/2019: Beijing, China
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
Hanrich Claassen, conductor

6/2019: Orlando, FL
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra
Hanrich Claassen, conductor