Through The Thicket of Stars

by Phyllis Chen

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1.	Chase Me To The Moon 02:44	info	buy track
2.	White Tiger Lurking 04:00	info	buy track
3.	Fluttering Phoenix 02:53	info	buy track
4.	When Black Tortoise Speaks 04:50	info	buy track
5.	Dragon Jitters 02:24	info	buy track
6.	Orb of Night 04:08	info	buy track

about

Through The Thicket of Stars is based on the four Chinese astro-mythological creatures that guard the four cardinal directions. As a Taiwanese-American composer and mother, I was moved by the books and illustrations of celebrated children's author Grace Lin, whose stories have sparked many conversations with my kids regarding my heritage. I commissioned Grace to paint an original scroll painting to turn into a music box strip for a musical piece. The scroll painting is a celestial scene featuring a young girl leading the four mythical creatures in a grand adventure to the moon through the sky.

The six-movement piece features my sounding interpretations of the mythological creatures in different movements, culminating in “Orb of Night” which collages together sounds from the entire work. This movement features Grace's scroll painting that can be seen and heard playing through the hand-cranked music box mechanism.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlOZ3iJBijU

This piece is dedicated to Zoe and Ember.

Described by the New York Times as "spellbinding," Phyllis Chen is a composer and sound artist whose music draws from her tactile exploration of sound. She is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, 2019 Cage-Cunningham Fellow, the founder of the UnCaged Toy Piano and was a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble.

credits

released November 14, 2023

Music composed, performed, recorded, mixed and produced by Phyllis Chen @ Lilac Studios.

Cover art and work title: Zoe Dietz

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Phyllis Chen New Paltz, New York

www.phyllischen.net

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