From January 10 to 19, Festival Connect returns for its fourth installment, a dynamic celebration of musical evolution and cultural dialogue, centered on the transformative legacy of French-American composer Edgard Varèse. Festival Connect, Tianjin Juilliard’s flagship performance festival, highlights a different groundbreaking 20th-century composer every year, tracing their legacy and influence on contemporary music. This year’s festival includes a series of four performances: an opening concert featuring the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble; two chamber concerts showcasing a diverse array of works; and a closing concert by the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra under the direction of Ken Lam.
The opening concert presents a kaleidoscope of sound and influence, featuring Varèse’s Ionisation, Octandre, and Density 21.5, Chou Wen-Chung’s Echoes from the Gorge and Eternal Pine, and Debussy’s luminous Danse sacrée et Danse profane. The chamber concerts delve deeper into the tapestry of musical connections, showcasing other works reflecting cultural exchange, including Chou Wen-Chung’s Seven Poems from T'ang Dynasty and a newly commissioned work by Niccolo Athens, Songs of Homesickness. The closing concert brings the festival to a powerful conclusion with Chou Wen-Chung’s poignant All in the Spring Wind, Varèse’s evocative Déserts, and Debussy’s iconic La mer.
Beyond his compositional innovations, Varèse profoundly impacted the musical world through his teaching. Among his most celebrated protégés was Chou Wen-Chung, who became one of Varèse’s closest collaborators and artistic heirs.
As Chou writes in Sights & Sounds: Remembrances: “As an artist I find the ancient Chinese tradition of wenren (men of the arts) irresistible. It regards composing or any other creative medium as an integral part of the arts — the ultimate expression of the oneness between the human spirit and nature. In qinqu (music for the zither), as in caoshu (cursive calligraphy), dotting lines, accentuating turns, fluctuating density and modulating texture join to reveal mind in equilibrium — in knowledge, discipline, aspirations, and intuition.”
Chou was a pioneering composer and cultural ambassador whose work merged Eastern and Western musical traditions, earning him a place as one of the most influential Chinese composers of the 20th century. His music is characterized by its profound sensitivity to timbre, spatial relationships, and the expressive potential of sound. Drawing on his heritage, he often employed traditional Chinese concepts and techniques while adapting Western compositional methods such as serialism and counterpoint.
The festival continues to bridge cultures through music by bringing together talents from across the globe. This year, we welcome students and faculty from the Taipei University of the Arts (TNUA), Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST). Together with Tianjin Juilliard faculty and students, these remarkable musicians will collaborate on selected works, including Varèse’s Ionisation and Chou Wen-Chung’s Echoes from the Gorge.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this year’s Festival Connect, where we come together to explore the timeless power of music to transcend boundaries, generations, and ideas.
This year, we turn our focus to the revolutionary contributions of Edgard Varèse, a pioneer who redefined the possibilities of music. Through our exploration of Varèse’s works, we reflect on the profound influence of his predecessors, such as Claude Debussy, who laid the groundwork for his innovations. At the same time, we celebrate Varèse’s lasting legacy, particularly his role in inspiring future generations, including the distinguished Chou Wen-Chung, who carried forward his visionary ideas into new artistic realms.
Wei He
The thread connecting Varèse, Debussy, and Chou Wen-Chung is one of both innovation and continuity. Debussy provided a foundation for later modernist exploration; Varèse expanded those principles into a radical redefinition of music’s boundaries; and Chou carried forward Varèse’s ethos into new cultural dimensions. Together, they represent a lineage of creativity that transcends borders, bridging historical traditions with bold visions of the future.
Click here to read the digital program, tickets are available through the performance calendar.
PROGRAM DETAILS
January 10, 2025 | 7:30pm
Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble: Festival Connect Opening Concert
VARÈSE Ionisation
CHOU Wem-Chung Echoes from the Gorge for Percussion Quartet
VARÈSE Octandre
CHOU Wen-Chung Eternal Pine for Di, Guan, Sheng, Pipa, Zheng, and Gu
VARÈSE Density 21.5 for Solo Flute
DEBUSSY Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane for Harp and Strings
Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall
January 13, 2025 | 7pm
Chamber Music Concert I
LEI LIANG Inkscape (2014)
ZHOU LONG Illusion (2007)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Syrinx, L. 129
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86 (Chamber Music Version)
ANDRÉ JOLIVET Cinq Incantations (with special effects by István Matuz)
Tianjin Juilliard Recital Hall
January 17, 2025 | 7pm
Chamber Music Concert II
CHOU WEN-CHUNG Seven Poems of the T’ang Dynasty (1951-1952)
ALBERT ROUSSEL
Des fleurs font une broderie..., Op. 35, No. 1
Réponse d’une épouse sage, Op. 35, No. 2
A un jeune gentilhomme, Op. 12, No. 1
Amoureux séparés, Op. 12, No. 2
ZHOU TIAN Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles (2008)
NICCOLO ATHENS Songs of Homesickness
Tanoto Theater
January 19, 2025 | 3pm
Festival Connect Closing Concert: Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra
Chou Wen CHUNG All the Spring Wind
VARÈSE Déserts
DEBUSSY La Mer
Tianjin Juilliard Concert Hall