Missouri Classical Music News and Notes

Chen will be coming to the University of Utah next week as part of the Maurice Abravanel Distinguished Visiting Composers Series. Canyonlands New Music Ensemble, under the direction of Morris Rosenzweig, will play one of her works, ". . . as like a raging fire . . ." at its concert Tuesday evening.

Chen by phone from her home in New York said that ". . . as like a raging fire . . ." was written in response to 9/11. "It has all the emotions and expressions I had when I heard the news."

She was in New York when the attacks took place and was overwhelmed by what had happened. "I read all the stories in the New York Times. I was sad and angry, and this work reflects these emotions."

The piece was premiered in Philadelphia in late 2001 by Network for New Music and since then has been played frequently.