Pixelandia, a commission from Boston Modern Orchestra Project with funding provided by the Fromm Music Foundation, was premiered on April 21st at Jordan Hall by BMOP and its Artistic Director, Gil Rose. A multi-movement work for full orchestra, Pixelandia was inspired by video games Yu-Hui played in her youth, including an arcade shooter from the 80s, “1943: The Battle of Midway”, and a PC strategy game titled “Heroes of Might and Magic”. For the premiere, Yu-Hui wrote:
The idea of “Pixelandia” came when one day I saw my husband teaching my two little daughters how to play “The Legend of Zelda”, a series of Nintendo video games that first started in 1986. It occurred to me how my generation was the first to grow up with video games when they were in their earlier developing stages in the 70s and 80s, before they became multi-billion dollar business, and before they exist ubiquitously in everyone’s smart phone. I began to recall my first encounters with some of the games when I was a child, such as “Space Invaders”, “Breakout”, and “Pac-Man”. I wanted to write a piece commenting on this unique experience, when kids could have tremendous joy with 2D games and with graphics so primitive that every scan line and pixel was visible. After the piece was finished, I realized what I wrote was not just about video games, but about a simpler time, and the youth that will never return.
Yu-Hui’s Incredulous – for alto flute, bass clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, and percussion – has recently been premiered by Ensemble Échappé on March 18, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky. Taking place in the beautiful Academy Library at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, this salon concert featured works by the winners of the 2017 Arts and Letters Awards in Music. Incredulous is a commentary on the political and social changes in the U.S. during the past one and half years. Also on the program are Andrew Norman’s The Companion Guide to Rome, Lisa Bielawa’s Incessabili Voce, and Jan Krzywicki’s Catching Light.
Yu-Hui is returning to University of Utah for the second time as a Maurice Abravanel Visiting Distinguished Composer. During her residency (Feb. 26-27, 2018), she will give a public lecture and several masterclasses. Her Shadow Chase will also be featured in a public concert performed by Canyonlands Ensemble and Ulysses Quartet at the Dumke Recital Hall in the School of Music’s David Gardner Hall, along with works by Reich, Davidovsky, Ligeti, and Stravinsky. Following the residency, Ulysses will bring Shadow Chase to New Orleans as part of the Louis Moreau Institute concert series in March.
The Innovation Series is a large annual event presented by the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, that showcases groundbreaking performances in contemporary theater, dance, and music. Yu-Hui was excited to be part of the 2017 series’ unique music theater project – “The Pilgrimage”, which took place between 9/29-10/1 at the Experimental Theater. Directed by composer Ching-Wen Chao and theater director Ding-Yun Huang, “The Pilgrimage”, a multi-media feast, combines music written by seven composers (including Yu-Hui & Chao, plus Chia-Lin Pan, Shih-Hui Chen, Yi-Chen Chen, Mei-Fang Lin, and Mu-Xuan Lin), and a crew specializing in mechanical, lighting, sound, and stage design. Performed by a group of singers, children’s choir, 2 percussionists (Aiyun Huang and Yung-Chih Hsueh) and 2 pianists, it tells the story of political conflicts and cultural convergence in recent Taiwanese history.
In addition to The Pilgrimage, this year’s Innovation Series featured a concert by the Morgenstern Trio and clarinetist Nina Janssen-Deinzer from Germany, and a collective composing project that gathered musicians from Central Asia and Taiwan in a weeklong workshop and performance.
After six years, Yu-Hui again returned to Composers Conference at Wellesley as a guest composer this summer. She enjoyed exchanging ideas with ten very talented composer fellows, along with Mario Davidovsky, the conference director. Intersect was also performed during Yu-Hui’s Conversation and Concert on July 27th, 2017, by conductor James Baker and the top-notch Conference Ensemble.
The American Academy of Arts and Letters has awarded Yu-Hui an Arts and Letters Award in Music, which “honors outstanding artistic achievement and acknowledges the composer who has arrived at his or her own voice.” Other recipients of this award this year are Lisa Bielawa, Jan Krzywicki, and Andrew Norman.
Yu-Hui and the Lydian String Quartet are invited by the Taipei National University of the Arts for a two-week residency in December 2016. Collectively they will give multiple workshops, lectures and masterclasses. Also included in this residency are Lydian’s two public concerts at TNUA. The 12/9 concert showcases Lydian’s contemporary repertoire, including Lee Hyla’s String Quartet No. 3, Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 5, Chiu-Yu Chou’s String Quartet No. 1, and Yu-Hui’s new work “Mind Like Water.” The second concert on 12/17 is a mixture of old and new, including Mozart’s “Dissonance” String Quartet, Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major, Steven Snowden’s “Appalachian Polaroids”, and Brahms’s String Quintet No. 2 (with TNUA’s viola professor Yi-Wen Chao.)
In addition to music making, Yu-Hui is excited to show the Lydian the fantastic food scene in Taipei.
In summer 2016, Yu-Hui will serve as the inaugural composer of the Composers NOW Project at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival. “The goal of Composers NOW is to integrate music that is being written in our time, into the fabric of the music-making at Kneisel Hall,” Interim Artistic Director Laurie Smukler, “The study of contemporary music should be (and now will be) a piece of the young artists’ experience as the performers of the future. To do this is truly to become involved, articulate and invested in the music of their time.” Yu-Hui will be on campus from July 13th – 16th, giving open rehearsals with the talented young artists that will perform Yu-Hui’s At the Brink of the Chill (for violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano) on July 16th at Kneisel Hall, Blue Hill, ME.
Yu-Hui, along with composer Erin Gee, will be the featured composer in the 2016 nienteForte Contemporary Music Festival. Taking place between March 14-17, 2016, in Tulane University, nF 2016 also hosts ECCE as the featured ensemble. Together there will be roundtable discussion and several concerts at the Dixon Recital Hall Annex. See nF 2016’s website for more detail.
“A Long Overdue Sequel” was premiered by percussionist Robert Schulz in a concert celebrating composer Eric Chasalow’s 60th birthday. Check out the video!
Award-winning composer Yu-Hui Chang has written a wide range of music that compels and resonates with professional musicians and audiences alike.
Her music is characterized by energy, precision, ingenious effects, and vibrant colors – all in the pursuit of a deep connection with humanity. She strives to break through cultural and stylistic boundaries, and to take an inclusive view of musical diversity. This attitude is manifested in the multifaceted quality of her compositional output, and the stylistic fluidity in her writing.
Pixelandia, a commission from Boston Modern Orchestra Project with funding provided by the Fromm Music Foundation, was premiered on April 21st at Jordan Hall by BMOP and its Artistic Director, Gil Rose. A multi-movement work for full orchestra, Pixelandia was inspired by video games Yu-Hui played in her youth, including an arcade shooter from the 80s, “1943: The Battle of Midway”, and a PC strategy game titled “Heroes of Might and Magic”. For the premiere, Yu-Hui wrote:
Prior to the premiere, Zoë Madonna did a preview piece in the Boston Globe featuring Yu-Hui and her new work. To read the article, follow this link: “Composer goes for the high score with video game-inspired ‘Pixelandia’“.
Yu-Hui’s Incredulous – for alto flute, bass clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, and percussion – has recently been premiered by Ensemble Échappé on March 18, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky. Taking place in the beautiful Academy Library at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, this salon concert featured works by the winners of the 2017 Arts and Letters Awards in Music. Incredulous is a commentary on the political and social changes in the U.S. during the past one and half years. Also on the program are Andrew Norman’s The Companion Guide to Rome, Lisa Bielawa’s Incessabili Voce, and Jan Krzywicki’s Catching Light.
The Innovation Series is a large annual event presented by 
In summer 2016, Yu-Hui will serve as the inaugural composer of the Composers NOW Project at the 
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