Late last year, composer and Shepherd School of Music professor Shih-Hui Chen helped bring something called “nanguan” music to Houston. Specifically, she and Asia Society Texas brought the Lâm-hun-koh/Gang-a-Tsui Nanguan Music and Theater Troupe to perform this special kind of traditional Chinese music. We somehow squeezed all of the members of the troupe into our studio, including musician and ethnomusicologist Katie Chen, for this episode. Katie and Shih-Hui talk about nanguan music and some of Shih-Hui’s contemporary pieces that the troupe were to play at their Asia Society performance. We saved this episode for Chinese New Year (shout out to the Year of the Rooster!) which starts on January 28th. You’re welcome!

Music in this episode:

• Traditional Nanguan pieces:
  • Traditional piece
  • Pushing Away The Pillow

• Shih-Hui Chen pieces:
  • Returning Souls
  • A Plea to Lady Chang’e 

Audio production for this episode by Todd “I’m not Todd” Hulslander with meandering by Dacia Clay and assistance from Mark DiClaudio.