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Oberlin Portrait: Huang Ruo
by Michael
Chipman
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"Drama Theater I: A
Q" "If To Live, To..."
(for cello solo) "SI WAY - - - Four
Dimensions" (for three piccolos and conductor) |
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concerts and events |
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faculty, staff & students |
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Related Articles:
Huang Ruo Awarded Grand Prize at European International Competition for Composers
Oberlin Chamber Orchestra Performance Includes Premieres of Two Student Works
PHOTOGRAPH BY
Junior composition major Huang Ruo, a native of China, has
had a busy year; his achievements this year
include:
JOCELYN
JUNGERS
- The Grand Prize in Composition, VI Level Award at the European International Competition for Composers, held in Ragusa-Ilba, Italy. Huang's works judged for the competition included "SI WAY - - - Four Dimensions" (for three piccolos and conductor), and "If To Live, To..." (for cello solo).
- A CD recording of "If To Live, To..." performed by Oberlin alumnus Alexander Waterman '98, was featured in the March, 1998, issue of Layers Magazine.
- "SI WAY - - - Four Dimensions" received its Canadian premiere in November, 1998, at the Forum 98 Festival in Montreal, Canada.
In this interview for Oberlin On-Line, Huang Ruo discusses his life in music.
What is your first memory of
music?
My first memory of music is a song written by my father
who is also a composer. I think I have been picking up music
from his playing and composing since I was born.
How old were you when you started
playing?
I started playing piano at 5 years old. And I wrote my
first childish song at age 6.
What inspired you to be a musician?
What keeps you inspired on discouraging days?
I can't remember what inspired me to be a musician. It is better for me to forget because the same thing that inspired me to be a musician can come back to inspire me not to be a musician. In one's life, some days are courageous, some days are discouraging, and the rest are flat -- that is my favorite time. On discouraging days, I like to take long breaths so that time gets slowed and space is enlarged. Then, the many beautiful moments and places inside them can be seen.
What is the most memorable
performance you have ever seen? Why?
It was the only time in my life so far, to see a
marriage of ghosts. My grandma invited several Taoists to
come to her house to choose a ghost wife for my dead uncle.
During the marriage, the Taoists played very strange, sacred
music with some instruments I can't even tell the names. It
went on for several days.
If you could perform with one
musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you
perform?
I would love to perform the double piano version of the
Rite of Spring by Stravinsky with Stravinsky.
If you could master another
instrument, what would it be?
Cello.
If you couldn't be a musician what
profession would you choose? Which profession would you
definitely not choose?
I might be willing to be a doctor who can save people's
lives. But definitely not a lawyer because in every case you
make a friend, and also make an enemy.
What do you listen to after a long
day?
My own breathing.
What do you like to read?
Books about Chan ---- Deep Meditation.
The three words that best describe
you:
Nothing, something, nothing.
