SHUYING LI

Highlights from the world premiere of Coping Cadences by Shuying Li, with the score, performed by the Santa Rosa Symphony under Francesco Lecce-Chong at Weill Hall, Green Music Center, in March 2026. Coping Cadences is a 20-minute work for any six soloists and orchestra. Each of its six movements explores a different way we cope, each in its own musical style, and the final movement brings them together. 0:00 I. Road Rage (contemporary) 0:25 II. Dual Lives (romantic) 0:57 III. Bottled-Up Blues (blues & jazz) 1:32 IV. The Pursuit (minimalist) 2:11 V. Uneasy Balance (classical) 2:53 VI. Shared Harmony (fusion) 3:24 Credits Soloists Roy Zajac, clarinet Robert Lau Giambruno, trumpet Bruce Chrisp, trombone Allen Biggs, marimba Elizabeth Prior, viola Adelle-Akiko Kearns, cello Santa Rosa Symphony Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor Commissioned by the Santa Rosa Symphony, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. Orchestra: 2222, 4221, timpani+2, strings. The six solo parts are flexible, so any combination of principal players can mix and match. Available to new orchestras from the 2027–28 season. The Santa Rosa Symphony recording will be released on Delos in February 2027. Score, parts and details: https://www.shuyingli.com/coping-cadences Music © 2026 Shuying Li Music (ASCAP) #ShuyingLi #CopingCadences #SantaRosaSymphony #NewMusic #ContemporaryClassical #Orchestra

Highlights from the studio recording of The Wild Party by Shuying Li, with the score, performed by Earplay with soprano Chelsea Hollow under Mary Chun, recorded at San Francisco State University in March 2026. The Wild Party is a 17-minute work for soprano and chamber ensemble, set to Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 Jazz Age poem. Across five movements, one reckless night of a party slides from spectacle into tragedy. 0:00 I. Queenie & Burrs 0:34 II. The Party Begins 0:58 III. Queenie & Black 1:23 IV. Lust 2:13 I. Queenie & Burrs (“He was glorious!”) Credits Chelsea Hollow, soprano Earplay Mary Chun, conductor Terrie Baune, violin Tod Brody, flutes Margaret Halbig, piano Peter Josheff, clarinets Thalia Moore, cello Ellen Ruth Rose, viola Text by Joseph Moncure March (1928), adapted by Jeffrey Hastings (2025). Commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation for Earplay. Premiered at Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco, in [month] 2026. Recorded March 23, 2026, at San Francisco State University. Recording engineer Nathan Link, edited by Mark Lemaire, produced by Bruce Benett and Shuying Li, mastered by Ken Lee. Instrumentation: soprano, flute, clarinet in B♭, piano, violin, viola, cello. The recording will be released as an EP in 2027. Music © 2026 Shuying Li Music (ASCAP) #ShuyingLi #TheWildParty #Earplay #NewMusic #ContemporaryClassical #ChamberMusic

October 17, 2024 Baylor Wind Ensemble Eric Wilson, conductor Jones Concert Hall, Baylor University Waco, TX Program Notes: “My nature is the nature of the cloud – the nature of no birth and no death. Just as it is impossible for a cloud to die, it’s impossible for me to die. I enjoy contemplating my continuation body, just as the cloud enjoys watching the rain fall and become the river far below. If you look closely at yourself, you will see how you too are continuing me in some way. If you breathe in and out, and you find peace, happiness, and fulfillment, you know I am always with you, whether my physical body is still alive or not. I am continued in my many friends, students, and monastic disciples.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Living. This quotation comes from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Art of Living. This book is a collection of the Vietnamese monk's ruminations on life and death that guided my partner Glen Adsit through his personal struggles when confronted with his own mortality. As well as being my beloved life partner and musical collaborator, Glen was a beloved figure in the music community who touched the lives of countless collaborators and students. In the wake of Glen’s sudden passing in January 2024 we have all become the rain to Glen’s cloud. His inextinguishable spirit and profound influence continue to resonate deeply within all of us. Although his physical body is no longer with us, we now constitute his continuation body and are charged with continuing his legacy of support and love for one another. This piece is a tribute to Glen, the physical life we shared together, and the new life we share as I continue his legacy in my own way. It reflects the profound love and connection we share, both personally and through our collaborative musical endeavors. The piece is lyrical and tender, inviting listeners into the intimate emotional spaces Glen and I navigated together. It captures the essence of Glen's loving spirit — missed by many, cherished by those who experienced his warmth and guidance, and still apparent in the life and work of his family, colleagues, and students. It is both a celebration of Glen's life and the enduring bond he and I share and a tribute to the legacy of love and artistic collaboration that he left behind for all of us to continue together. Glen Adsit was a conductor and trombonist. He served as the Director of Bands at The Hartt School and the national president of the College Band Directors National Association.

0:00 The Dryad: Erika Boysen, flute 1:58 American Variations: Joshua Anderson, clarinet 3:50 Matilda's Dream: Richard Narroway, cello 06:06 Canton Snowstorm: Annie Jeng, piano 08:04 The Peace House: Christina Adams, violin More information: Flute Concerto The Dryad (Denmark and Germany): based on Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale story and Schubert’s art song Der Lindenbaum. Clarinet Concerto American Variations (United States): based on various American music styles, including jazz, ragtime, klezmer, etc. Cello Concerto Matilda’s Dream (Australia): based on Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda . Violin Concerto The Peace House (Korea): inspired by Korean culture, music, and the theme is peace. Piano Concerto Canton Snowstorm (China): inspired by Cantonese opera.

Music by Shuying Li Libretto by Julian Crouch Commissioned by Shanghai Conservatory of Music Yvette Keong, Iris Chang Hidenori Inoue, Shiro Azuma S: Andrea Bickford, Tabatha Hogan, McKenzie Rybka A: Kendra Brislawn, Ruby Gibford, Rachel Steinke T: Robert Waltenbaugh B: James Heer, Fengyue Zhang Glen Adsit, conductor Four Corners Ensemble: Erika Boysen, flute Joshua Anderson, clarinet Christina Adams, violin Allan Hon, cello Mi-Eun Kim, piano Paul Raymond, percussion Operation Opera Festival, Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, Gonzaga University, June 10th, 2022 Opera When the Purple Mountains Burn involves collaboration between composer Shuying Li and librettist, stage designer and director, Julian Crouch. The opera explores the connection between Iris Chang and Shiro Azuma with the Nanking Massacre that happened in China during World War II. Iris Chang, an American Chinese best-seller author whose book, “The Rape of Nanking” forever changed the way people view the Second World War in Asia. By uncovering the cruel truths to the world, she got trapped in depression later and committed suicide at age 36; Rooted in a different time at a different space, Shiro Azuma was a Japanese soldier who openly admitted his participation in Japanese war crimes against the Chinese during the World War II. The opera explores the following question on social justice and humanity: what is it in us humans that could unleash the catastrophic power for one part of humanity to massacre and defile another part of humanity? We intend to present a story that’s told by the seemingly unrelated Iris and Shiro, waved with a journalist’s powerful message and a soldier’s deep confession, to a universal song that will resonate with all human beings. When the Purple Mountains Burn was commissioned by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The development of When the Purple Mountains Burn received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. The piano-vocal workshop was hosted by the Houston Grand Opera on Feb. 22-25, 2022.

Shuying Li, composer https://www.shuyingli.com/.com/ Performed by Alarm Will Sound http://alarmwillsound.com Live at the 2021 Mizzou International Composers Festival, July 29, 2021 http://composersfestival.missouri.edu Note from the composer: "Sweeping and Weeping" was written in April 2020, when the pandemic hit and everything was canceled, postponed, or shut down. In an effort to find something positive, I initially thought of “sweeping” as a representation of the virus storm that took over our lives in the most unexpected ways. “Weeping” represents my reaction to the devastating loss that so many experienced. Like most of my pieces, "Sweeping and Weeping" began from these initial impressions, but the music itself navigated a way out with its own logic. The work explores rhythmic drive, lyrical tension, and release, with different timbres and colors. The music alternates between fast and slow passages that ultimately mingle into one. Alarm Will Sound: Alan Pierson, conductor and Artistic Director Erin Lesser, flute Christa Robinson, oboe Bill Kalinkos, clarinet Elisabeth Stimpert, clarinet Michael Harley, bassoon Laura Weiner, horn Tim Leopold, trumpet Michael Clayville, trombone Matt Smallcomb, percussion Chris Thompson, percussion John Orfe, piano Courtney Orlando, violin Stefan Freund, cello Miles Brown, bass Daniel Neumann, audio engineering Executive Director, Gavin Chuck General Manager, Annie Toth Production Manager, Jason Varvaro Assistant Director of Artistic Planning, Peter Ferry Librarian, Chihiro Shibayama Special thanks to Kyle Lombard (violin), Ayane Kosaza (viola), Eli Lara (cello), Lawrence Faucett (percussion), Gina Cuffari (bassoon), and Amanda Collins (horn). The composition for and performance of "Sweeping and Weeping" was made possible by the University of Missouri-Columbia Mizzou New Music Initiative through the generous support of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, and was specially made for 2021 the Mizzou International Composers Festival where it was premiered by Alarm Will Sound.

University of Michigan Symphony Band Kung Fu (2019) Shuying Li premiere performance 1. Wushu Spirit 2. Tai-chi 3. Jianghu Michael Haithcock, conductor September 24, 2021 Hill Auditorium University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI recorded and filmed by Dave Schall, Cory Robinson, and Robyn Kimmey (www.daveschallacoustic.com)