In conversation with CCOM composers
1. How would you describe your music to someone who is not familiar with it?
Dramatic, somewhat weighty.
2. What is your educational background and training in music composition?
I began self-studying composition at the age of 18 due to a strong desire for expression. My works received recognition and praise in the dance troupe where I worked, leading me to enroll in a music college to study composition. In simple terms, I composed first and then studied composition. Over the forty years since graduating from university in 1983, I have continuously engaged in targeted learning for each work I create. Therefore, my training is a lifelong process of self-learning.
3. Why did you decide to become a composer?
Since the age of 18, numerous sounds have continuously emerged in my mind, and I had to write them down. Becoming a composer was not a choice for me but rather an inevitable destiny.
4. Can you walk us through your process of composing a piece?
Each time is different; there is no fixed pattern.
5. What are your main sources of inspiration for composing music?
The impact of life experiences on me.
6. What advice do you have for aspiring composers who are just starting their careers?
1. Technique is the most important.
2. Beware of using concepts to substitute for art.
7. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing composers today?
The biggest challenge for artists of any era or discipline is how to make society accept and appreciate their work.
8. The greatest pop song of all time?
For me, it's Cui Jian's "Nothing to My Name."
9. Dream venue and performers for a world premiere?
Every world premiere and performer is a dream come true.
10. Composing on paper or digitally?
For the past decade or so, I have been composing with Sibelius software. In the past, when I composed on paper—especially for large orchestral works—writing the notes would take up 80% of the time! But since switching to composition software, the percentage has reversed! At 68 years old this year, with failing eyesight and trembling hands, I probably wouldn't be able to compose without composition software, or at best, I could only write small-scale pieces. However, with composition software, I can write large-scale works faster than when I was young. Over the years, whenever I finish a piece—especially a large one—I silently pray for the blessings of the inventor of composition software.
11. Coffee or tea?
Whether at home or in a hotel, the day always starts with a cup of coffee and a cup of tea.