Composition Alumna, Yuan Peiying
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory alumna Yuan Peiying’s composition "The Five Elements" has been selected for the 2009 Asian Contemporary Music Festival.
To be held in Korea (Tongyeong and Seoul) from 26 March to 2 April 2009, it is jointly organised by the Asian Composers League (ACL) Korea and Tongyeong International Music Festival Foundation. ACL is the most vibrant and active contemporary music organisation in the Asia-Pacific region today. It was established in 1973 by leading composers from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea. As of 2007, there are 11 official member countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The Conference and Festival are magnificent events which are held annually and biennially, hosted by the member countries under the auspices of the ACL. It is an important venue for promising Asian-Pacific composers with different cultural backgrounds to present their works, exchange ideas and build solidarity amongst themselves.
Peiying received inspiration for her work from the Five Elements theory that posits wood, fire, earth, metal and water as the basic elements of the material world. "The Five Elements", scored for the Pierrot ensemble, is based on the theory¹s generating cycle of balance, whereby wood feeds fire, fire creates earth, earth bears metal, metal collects water, and water nourishes wood. This cycle guides the sequence of the five continuous movements and the generative nature of interaction between the elements. The piece is constructed cyclically such that performers may choose to begin with any movement, and the piece then concludes when it returns to its opening gesture.
In 2005, Peiying’s solo piano composition "Schizo A Mad Dance" was selected for performance at the Asian Composers League Conference and Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. She has written installation music to the artwork "Collision" by celebrated artist and graffiti legend CrashOne and Singaporean artist Jahan Loh, and collaborated with Joshua Yang for the "Superstring" project, both pieces of which were performed at the Esplanade Concourse as part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2006 and 2007.
Peiying’s recent compositions express her interest in Oriental culture and philosophy and are written for both Western and traditional Chinese instruments. She is also an active sheng performer, having premiered several new compositions written for the instrument, and was also the sheng principal player for the National University of Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Besides composing, Peiying¹s reviews on music have been published by the International Computer Music Association. She has also been interviewed and featured on Symphony 92.4FM, Singapore’s classical music radio station, in a series which showcased talented and aspiring young musicians.