The Voice of Chinese Musicians in a Special Time

HOST INTRO

Chinese musicians in the United States actively use their art to discuss issues that concern them. These include racism and equity, as well as events surrounding the recent deportations and immigration status of international students. Now young musicians fear this music might make them targets for actions by the government. Zijie Yang has more.

ZIJIE YANG, BYLINE

YANG 1

Chinese composer Huang Ruo’s contemporary opera Angel Island premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music two weeks ago. Onstage, a projector screen showed historical footage of Angel Island, an immigration station that housed more than 50,000 Chinese and Japanese immigrants during the Chinese Exclusion Act. A choir of singers chanted the sentences immigrants carved on the island walls while two dancers performed.

(Clip from Angel Island plays)

YANG2

Chengrui Pan is a graduate student at Peabody Music School in Maryland, and sings in the performance. He is also a student composer and conductor. Pan says he was worried about participating.

PAN1

For students like me, on a student visa. It’s easy to feel the pressure against participating in these projects because you will be concerned about it influencing your immigration status.

YANG3

Starting in April, more than 1,500 students had their NJ-1 visas revoked for participating in protest activities. More than 500 of these were Chinese students. Leni Benson is a professor of immigration law at New York Law School. She says that although she sees no valid legal reasons for students to be concerned about their musical expressions, they still might face  consequences.

BENSON 1

Uh, it is not legitimate, but that doesn't mean you won't necessarily face the wrath of a particular administration or a particular government official who tries to use the very broad immigration laws against you as a tool. 

PAN2

People are not being as courageous in voicing their Chinese identity as before.

YANG 3

Pan says that even without a specific threat of legal action, many musicians are now reluctant to express their political views in their work.

PAN3

We don’t need censorship or ban or any kind of forcibly exercise policy or law to stop composing or stop voicing ourselves. 

YANG 4

Pan just finished his semester at music school, and he plans to spend the summer composing  new pieces about the history of the Chinese community in the US. He still wants to voice his opinion for the community. And if the situation gets worse, Pan says he’ll just leave.

PAN 4

Inevitably I will touch on topics and get myself in trouble. But my philosophy is whenever trouble finds me, it’s a probably a good time for me to leave. United States is for sure is not the only place in the world we can form Chinese music communities.

(CLIP FROM WILDERNESS)

YANG 5

This is Hongyi Gu playing Chinese bamboo flute for a performance last week of Wilderness, with the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York.. In the piece, the composer, Yang Qing, explores his experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Gu, now 24 years old, has played the Chinese flute for 16 years. He says one advantage to living and working in the US instead of China, is that musicians here are freer to choose what they want to play.

GU 1

When I was in China, the pieces we are playing are determined by our instructors, our teachers, and over here, we have more degrees of freedom. I guess, it’s like more diverse, more interesting pieces, you get to play what you like more.

YANG 6

Gu does not care a lot about the political messages in the music. 

GU 2

For me I would play more attention to the quality of the music. Because I am a musician not a politician. So I will enjoy more if the quality of the music is something I like and enjoy.

YANG 7

Gu’s income mainly comes from his startup and investment in the stock market. Playing music is a side job and a hobby for him. He says he’ll continue to stay in the US.

GU 3

I would say, personally I am pretty optimistic about the situation. I don’t think the situation would get much worse. And for right now I am still enjoying it.

YANG 8Other young musicians are more concerned about their status. Alexander Zhang is a 25-year-old student musician who works as a software engineer on the side. He plays Erhu for Chinese music ensembles across the country.

ZHANG 1

It’s like a scare tactic for me. I can’t go outside the US now. It’s not like I physically cant’t, but I always had this fear that I would not be able to get back in. And also you’re afraid of getting a parking ticket, you’re afraid of doing things wrong. You don’t want to leave your traces on things. It’s been a pretty large effect on people.

YANG 10

But despite the fear of having his visa revoked or even of being deported, Zhang says he will continue to perform pieces that explore his political concerns.

ZHANG 3

I will definitely weight the influence, cause it is very heavy weight on its decision. Cuz this is a very real risks and we see consequences already. But this idea, this notion of having this is very important.

(CLIP FROM AUTUMN)

YANG 11

Last month, Zhang performed with the Chinese Symphony in San Francisco. He played Erhu in a piece called Autumn that expresses the sorrow of the season. That was his last time playing in the group before moving to Boston for a new software engineer job. He says once there, he’ll  play in another local Chinese music ensemble. Zijie Yang Columbia Radio News.