In conversation with CCOM composers
1. How would you describe your music to someone who is not familiar with it?
"I don't describe my music to people who are unfamiliar with it. Language cannot describe music; music can only be conveyed through music itself. I typically invite them to listen directly."
2. What is your educational background and training in music composition?
"I began studying composition at the age of 14, with my father as my mentor. At 16, I was admitted to the Composition Department of the High School Affiliated to Wuhan Conservatory of Music, where I continued to study composition with my father. In 1996, I was accepted into the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music for my undergraduate studies, studying composition under Professor Luo Xinmin. Five years later, in 2001, I pursued my master's degree in composition at the Central Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Professor Guo Wenjing. In 2005, I began my doctoral studies, also under the supervision of Professor Guo Wenjing. After completing my doctoral degree in 2008, I stayed at the Central Conservatory of Music to work as a faculty member, teaching harmony and composition."
3. Why did you decide to become a composer?
"I didn't actively choose to become a composer. It was because my grades in junior high school were so poor that I had to transfer to a music specialty in order to attend high school. It wasn't until around the undergraduate stage that I truly began to understand what composition meant to me."
4. Can you walk us through your process of composing a piece?
"I usually start by selecting instrumentation, and the specific combination of instruments or voices with instruments will inspire me to find the sound I want for the piece. Sometimes I'll give myself a title or theme, but other times I'll start purely from the sound itself and find a suitable title afterward. Typically, I'll write three or more themes for a piece and then use a 'montage' structure to interweave them. As one theme progresses to a certain 'pause,' I'll timely insert the second theme on another sonic layer, creating a juxtaposition with the first, and so on. I'm not a composer who plans everything out from the beginning, structuring everything in advance. I prefer to write while thinking, finding the next direction based on the evolution of the sound, which sometimes leads to getting stuck. When I get stuck, I choose to patiently wait, waiting for a good solution to come to mind to continue. That's why my creative process is relatively slow."
5. What are your main sources of inspiration for composing music?
"I don't believe that composing music relies on inspiration. The concept of inspiration is too abstract. I compose because I want to express an idea through a certain sound. This idea sometimes comes from words, sometimes from images, and sometimes from imagination. The idea must be strong—so strong that I continuously seek ways, methods, and means to express it, constantly trying to concretize it into a sound structure in my mind."
6. Who is your favorite composer or what is your favorite piece, and why?
"I particularly admire Mahler and Shostakovich because their music has the power to deeply stir my soul and emotions, and their expressive range is incredibly diverse."
7. What advice do you have for aspiring composers who are just starting their careers?
"Firstly, a good piece of work must be one that is performed frequently, rather than one that has won many awards. Secondly, I believe that musical works must possess a musicality that can communicate with ordinary people; if personal expression overshadows this musicality, it's not worth it. Thirdly, the language and aesthetics of music expression are always diverse, rather than singular."
8. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing composers today?
"The biggest challenge is whether the inherent musicality of the work can establish effective spiritual communication with ordinary people."
9. What do you think one should know before becoming a composer?
"Whether myself is suited for composition..."
10. What do you think each audience member should...?
"Be faithful to their own aesthetic values in terms of auditory perception."
11. The greatest pop song of all time?
"There are too many... both The Beatles and Michael Jackson are the greatest of all time."
12. Dream venue and performers for a world premiere?
"I don't have a dream one... anywhere and anyone all fine."
13. Piano compositions or orchestral compositions?
"I have written few piano pieces, as I used to be hesitant in the past, but now I have started writing them. There aren't too many orchestral works either, mainly because of the limited performance opportunities."
14. Composing on paper or digitally?
"I use both methods. I start by writing on paper, and once I have a rough direction, I switch to digital software."
15. Coffee or tea?
"I drink coffee more often and consume less tea."