Chou Wen-chung Centennial Celebration Concert
Composer
Acclaim
“He is the godfather of Chinese contemporary music”
“Simply put, there is no musical organization in New York that produces more intellectually enticing or more viscerally satisfying programs than Continuum.””
Acclaimed as the Father of Contemporary Chinese Music, composer Chou Wen-chung has had a critical impact on the development of modern music. As an influential educator based at Columbia University, he nurtured young composers from around the world and trained the first generation of contemporary composers from Mainland China. Chou devoted the last forty years of his life to an unexpected career as cultural ambassador. In 1978 he founded the Center for U.S.-China Arts Exchange at Columbia University and bridged diverse cultures through projects in the performing, visual and literary arts. Following the Cultural Revolution, some of China’s most gifted young composers came to study with him at Columbia, including Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng, and Tan Dun.
On March 21, 2024 the Spiralis Music Trust presents a centennial celebration of Chou’s music with the Continuum ensemble.
