The annual Empowerment Through Music concert, presented by the Cornell Department of Music and Chorus and Glee Club in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), will be held Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 pm in Sage Chapel. In celebration of International Women’s Day, the choirs will present a concert of music centering women composers and music at the intersection of Asia and the Asian diaspora.
This is the second year that International Women's Day will be celebrated by the music department with a performance. The event is in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology and will feature Dr. Yunn-Shan Ma as a guest conductor, as well as the world premiere of “Seek, Home,” a new commission by composer Yi-Ning Lo. The concert will also feature a wide variety of compositions by Reena Esmail, Melissa Dunphy, Shireen Abu-Khader, Hyo-Won Woo, Emily Lau, and more.
“Collaborating with Dr. Ma and her talented students will be a treat,” said Joe Lerangis, assistant professor of music and the Priscilla E. Browning Director of Choral Music (A&S). “It is important to bring intersectionality into discussions of gender-based justice, which is why we are celebrating a diversity of stories and voices from Asia and the Asian diaspora this year.”
Yi-Ning Lo, currently based in Rochester, New York, is a composer, pianist, and educator from Taiwan. Over the course of her artistic journey, she has drawn abundant inspiration for both vocal and instrumental compositions from a rich tapestry of literature, encompassing Western poems, ancient Chinese poetry, and Japanese haikus.
Taiwan native Yunn-Shan Ma is active as a conductor, pianist, and educator in both America and Asia. Both on and off stage, Ma is committed to bringing new light to existing musical works. She is equally eager to present orchestral live performances in an interdisciplinary manner, incorporating new media, visual content, and special themes to interact with musicians and audiences.
Laurel Gilmer is events manager for the Department of Music.
