The Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards presents “Chao Yuen-Ren’s Art of Songs,” a concert-symposium-exhibit that explores the musical legacy of the pioneering Chinese-American polymath and Cornell alumnus (class of 1914). Through performances, scholarly discussions, and an online exhibition, this two-day event celebrates Chao’s groundbreaking contributions to modern Chinese art music.

Central to the event is Chao’s innovative “Chinese lieder” (1922-1927), a song collection that represents a bold experiment in merging Chinese and Western musical traditions and a creative use of music as a vehicle for reforming the Chinese language.

Friday evening’s concert will bring Chao’s experimental compositions to life, alongside works by his compatriot contemporaries—Chinese composers who were also studying in the U.S. at the time—and select European lieder that inspired him. The concert will feature guest artist Stephen Ng alongside Cornell students and faculty, including Rachel Cheang, Vera Hsu, Roger Moseley, Yen-Hsiang Nieh, Morton Wan, and Cici Zhou.

A Saturday morning symposium will assemble an interdisciplinary panel to examine Chao’s music within the broader contexts of early 20th-century Chinese-American intellectual life, East-West musical exchange, and the keyboard’s role in the global transmission of musical knowledge and creativity. The panelists include Corey Earle (History, Cornell), Addi Liu (Music, Cornell), Morton Wan (Music, Cornell), Ding Xiang Warner (Chinese Literature, Cornell), Chen-Pang Yeang (History of Science and Technology, University of Toronto), and Sarah Yu (History, DeSales University).

An accompanying online exhibition, launching at the event, will invite visitors to explore a curated selection of photographs, letters, and musical works from Chao Yuen-Ren’s extensive archives at both Cornell University and UC Berkeley. These archival materials will illuminate Chao’s lifelong commitment to and fascination with music—as a scholar and musician, and as an influential Chinese-American intellectual on both sides of the Pacific.

The event, led by the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, is co-sponsored by the Cornell Council for the Arts, East Asia Program, Einaudi Center, Society for the Humanities, and the Departments of Asian Studies, Music, and Science and Technology Studies, with additional support from the Cornell Office of Alumni Affairs.

The Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards presents “Chao Yuen-Ren’s Art of Songs,” a concert-symposium-exhibit that explores the musical legacy of the pioneering Chinese-American polymath and Cornell alumnus (class of 1914). Through performances, scholarly discussions, and an online exhibition, this two-day event celebrates Chao’s groundbreaking contributions to modern Chinese art music.

Central to the event is Chao’s innovative “Chinese lieder” (1922-1927), a song collection that represents a bold experiment in merging Chinese and Western musical traditions and a creative use of music as a vehicle for reforming the Chinese language.

Friday evening’s concert will bring Chao’s experimental compositions to life, alongside works by his compatriot contemporaries—Chinese composers who were also studying in the U.S. at the time—and select European lieder that inspired him. The concert will feature guest artist Stephen Ng alongside Cornell students and faculty, including Rachel Cheang, Vera Hsu, Roger Moseley, Yen-Hsiang Nieh, Morton Wan, and Cici Zhou.

A Saturday morning symposium will assemble an interdisciplinary panel to examine Chao’s music within the broader contexts of early 20th-century Chinese-American intellectual life, East-West musical exchange, and the keyboard’s role in the global transmission of musical knowledge and creativity. The panelists include Corey Earle (History, Cornell), Addi Liu (Music, Cornell), Morton Wan (Music, Cornell), Ding Xiang Warner (Chinese Literature, Cornell), Chen-Pang Yeang (History of Science and Technology, University of Toronto), and Sarah Yu (History, DeSales University).

An accompanying online exhibition, launching at the event, will invite visitors to explore a curated selection of photographs, letters, and musical works from Chao Yuen-Ren’s extensive archives at both Cornell University and UC Berkeley. These archival materials will illuminate Chao’s lifelong commitment to and fascination with music—as a scholar and musician, and as an influential Chinese-American intellectual on both sides of the Pacific.

The event, led by the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, is co-sponsored by the Cornell Council for the Arts, East Asia Program, Einaudi Center, Society for the Humanities, and the Departments of Asian Studies, Music, and Science and Technology Studies, with additional support from the Cornell Office of Alumni Affairs.

Basic research, and applying what we learn directly to enhance conservation efforts, is a primary focus of the Elephant Listening Project. About equal effort is targeted at gathering new data from the forests of Central Africa, pushing the boundaries of how we can use acoustic monitoring to achieve conservation goals, and building capacity in Central Africa to ensure sustainable conservation into the future.

While the use of innovative technology is a key part of what we do, good old basic observational studies also play a key role. Linking specific calls to interactions requires careful (and long) observation. At the same time, we strive to teach local assistants and researchers how to use the technology, building capacity in the next generation of conservationists.

The East Asia Program (EAP) offers several categories of fellowships and grants to support student and faculty research and study related to East Asia:

EAP Graduate Area Studies Fellowships East Asian Language Study Grants EAP Research Travel GrantsCan’t attend? Contact eap@cornell.edu.