Composer 

Yuanyuan (Kay) HE began learning piano at age 5. At age 15, she began studying composition at the affiliated middle school of Shenyang Conservatory of China. As a double major undergraduate, Kay He studied with Tang Jianping in composition at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing (CCOM), and with Zhang Xiaofu at the Conservatory’s Center for Electroacoustic Music of China (CEMC). The winner of a Snow Scholarship, Kay He completed her Master’s degree in composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). While at UMKC, she studied under Dr. Zhou Long, Dr. Chen Yi, Dr. Paul Rudy and Dr. James Mobberley. Besides music, she also learned to paint at the UMKC Department of Art and Fine Arts. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in composition (DMA) at the University of Texas at Austin, studying under Dr. Dan Welcher, Dr. Russell Pinkston, Dr. Donald Grantham, and Dr. Yevgeniy Sharlat. 

      As a young composer, Kay has won many composition awards in the U.S. and abroad. Her piece Passeig de Grácia for orchestra was selected for the 2015 ACO Underwood New Music Readings in New York City. On the Threshold of a Drizzly Reality for cello and electronics was selected for 2014 performances at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Athens, Greece and the Root Signals music festival in Jacksonville, Florida; her piano trio Shadow of Dewdrops was selected as a finalists for TICF2015 composition competition in Bangkok, Thailand and Gamma UT music festival in 2014; the orchestra piece Legends of Old Peking won the Seattle Symphony’s Celebrate Asia Composition in 2012; Dying Away won the 2011 DuoSolo Emerging Composer Competition; Destiny of the Sputnik was chosen in the 2011 Beijing Modern Music Festival Young Composers Project, and many other pieces have won awards or competitions in other parts of the world.

           Opening Poem                                                            開篇詩

All in the golden afternoon                                        在那金黃色的午後時光
Full leisurely we glide;                                                        小船悠遊河上
For both our oars, with little skill,                        小小力道兒以小小的技巧
By little arms are plied,                                                       划動雙槳前航
While little hands make vain pretence                 小小手兒裝模作樣, 引導
Our wanderings to guide.                                                船兒東遊西蕩

Ah, cruel Three! In such an hour,                            啊!在這如夢似幻的時刻
Beneath such dreamy weather,                                   三個殘酷的小孩
To beg a tale of breath too weak                           求講故事, 不管我氣息細弱
To stir the tiniest feather!                                              連羽毛都吹不動!
Yet what can one poor voice avail                        但可憐一個聲音, 怎能敵得過
Against three tongues together?                                   三張嘴巴齊説?

Imperious Prima flashes forth                                  霸道的大公主急急發出命令:
Her edict "to begin it"--                                                         "現在道給我說!"
In gentler tones Secunda hopes                             溫柔的二公主輕輕說出希望
"There will be nonsense in it!"--                                      "故事裡怪話要多"
While Tertia interrupts the tale                                  三公主聽故事總不安分
Not more than once a minute.                                          沒一分鐘插嘴一次

Anon, to sudden silence won,                                          忽然三人都靜了下來
In fancy they pursue                                                                沉醉在冥想之中
The dream-child moving through a land                夢中的小孩在幻境裡漫步
Of wonders wild and new,                                                      新鮮事兒真多
In friendly chat with bird or beast--                         小鳥小獸都成了聊天的好朋友
And half believe it true.                                                             是真是假難分

And ever, as the story drained                                      故事總有窮盡, 靈感泉源
The wells of fancy dry,                                                              也有枯竭的時候
And faintly strove that weary one                               說故事的人急得沒辦法
To put the subject by,                                                                想要暫時停下:
"The rest next time—" "It is next time!"                       "下回再講"  "下回到了"
The happy voices cry.                                                          快樂的聲音齊叫

Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:                               奇境的故事就這樣展開
Thus slowly, one by one,                                                        一段按著一段
Its quaint events were hammered out--                      古怪的情節慢慢出現-----
And now the tale is done,                                                        直到故事結束
And home we steer, a merry crew,                                 於是轉舵回家, 滿船歡樂
Beneath the setting sun.                                                         在西斜的夕陽下

Alice! A childish story take,                                         愛麗絲!請收下這童稚的故事
And with a gentle hand,                                                         以輕柔的手
Lay it where Childhood's dreams are twined            放到童年夢境裡珍藏, 紮以
In Memory's mystic band,                                                  回憶的神秘絲帶
Like pilgrim's withered wreath of flowers                  像朝聖人帶回來的乾枯花環
Plucked in far-off land.                                                        採自遙遠的地方

                                                                 Back返回