A Playlist in Celebration of AAPI Heritage Month
Join the Seattle Symphony in honoring the immense contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through a playlist featuring some of our favorite AAPI artists and composers who have helped shaped music for the better.
By Anna James
From her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, Midori has continued to prove herself as one of the greatest violinists of our time. She joined the Seattle Symphony a few weeks ago for a divinely inspired solo recital at Benaroya Hall (pictured above; photo by Nick Klein). Give her excerpt of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor a listen — you’ll be glad you did!
Much of Zhou Long’s inspiration is derived from his early musical years in China and pre-emigration to the United States. But for The Rhyme of Tiagu, Long explores the essence of Japanese Taiko, sustaining a hammering forward motion through a flurry of rhythmic ostinato and outbursts of solo woodwind and string instruments.
Pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, through a confluence of Indian, jazz and Western classical compositional elements, has firmly established himself as visionary thinker and leader in multimedia-based expression. Listen to the “hauntingly” beautiful second movement of his piece, The Diamond for violin and piano. The virtuosic Jennifer Koh is featured on violin, and we are absolutely thrilled to have her join us in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in our upcoming 2023/2024 season!
When I say Yo-Yo – you say Ma! Excusing a moment of silliness, there are no figures (other than the 18 Grammy Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and host of other deserved accolades for both cello playing and acts of musical community activism) that fully encapsulate the impact Yo-Yo Ma has had on advancing classical music into modern public consciousness. For a lighthearted country twist, take a gander at Voila! from his collaborative quartet album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo.
Ko’u inoa translates from ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to “my name is,” and in turn, Leilehua Lanzilotti, a leading Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) composer, passionately uses this theme in exploring the meaning of identity and indigenous connection to home.
Tan Dun is no stranger to the Seattle Symphony and thank goodness for that — those who experienced Buddha Passion earlier this season continue to sing its praises. Representing Tan Dun’s first contribution for wind ensemble, Internet Symphony “Eroica” was originally commissioned by Google for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra project and features the theme from Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony.
In this selection, world renowned violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who appeared with the Seattle Symphony during the 2021/2022 season, performs an exquisite rendition of Michio Miyagi’s Haru No Umi (Sea In Spring) with pianist Akira Eguchi.
Los Angeles-based composer Reena Esmail was the Seattle Symphony’s Artist in Residence in the 2021/2022 season, and we’ll be featuring Concerto for Hindustani Violin and Orchestra (her Symphony commission co-written with violinist Kala Ramnath) again in the 2023/2024 season, with Ramnath returning as guest. Here’s the first movement, Buddhism, from Esmail’s 2020 recording, This Love Between Us, a work about unity. According to Esmail, its seven movements juxtapose the words of India’s seven major religious traditions (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism and Islam), and explore how each of these traditions approaches the topic of unity, brotherhood and being kind to one another.
We’ll end on one of my favorite compositions from internationally acclaimed slack-key guitarist, composer and activist, Makana: Deep in an Ancient Hawaiian Forrest. It showcases the ultra-rich slack-key guitar sound Hawai’i has cultivated over the last 100 years. Don’t miss out on tickets for Makana’s visit to Benaroya Hall on July 12, 2024, as part of the Hawaiian Summer Holiday!
To check out the complete playlist on Seattle Symphony's Spotify and save it to your own account, click here.