The Frost School of Music’s Composer in Residence for 2024 is Chen Yi, a Chinese-American composer and violinist with a remarkable career. A distinguished professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, Chen Yi has been breaking musical ground since her youth in China. She became a Peking Opera concertmaster at age 17, on her way to being the first woman to earn a Master of Arts in music composition from Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music.
Chen Yi’s impressive credits include Guggenheim Foundation and NEA fellowships, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Lieberson Award. In 2006, she was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her composition “Si Ji” (Four Seasons).
“Chen Yi is one of the top composers in the world,” says Professor Charles Mason, chair of the Frost School’s Department of Theory and Composition. “Orchestras all over the world are doing her music all the time. She’s also an amazing violinist who can review student compositions and provide them with a great deal of detail to achieve the sound they want. That fits in with our department’s philosophy that the more input you have, the better it is. Versatility is good.”
The Frost School has had some significant artists and recognition for its Composer In Residence program, most notably when Tania Leon won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for music during her tenure. One aspect that sets the Frost School’s program apart is that its visiting composers also teach one-on-one lessons to each student along with the usual lectures and masterclasses.
“I have done these in the past elsewhere, but it’s more intense and involved at the University of Miami,” says Chen Yi. “Not many places have the private lessons. This way, I get to know the students more closely, their work, their continuation, and their progress. There’s a context. And because I know these students’ backgrounds and some of their former teachers, I was able to tell my colleagues how they are doing. It’s very good sharing.”
Chen Yi’s residence is part of a busy stretch for the theory and composition department. Among notable happenings are doctoral students Kevin Day earning a commission to compose the inaugural work for the Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project, Indigo Knecht receiving the Presser Award, and Colin Martin receiving a commission from the New Mexico Ballet Company. The faculty are active as well. A production of Professor Lansing McCloskey’s opera “The Captivity of Hannah Duston” received an NEA grant. Associate professor Dorothy Hindman is fulfilling numerous commissions, including a work that includes the principal percussionist of the New York Philharmonic. And Mason has requests for 15 new works to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2025.
The Frost School students Chen Yi has worked with speak of her in glowing terms. Mengxue Tan, a graduate doctoral student who is also from China, was excited to study with a composer whose work has been foundational for her.
“She integrates Chinese and Western music,” says Tan. “Her works have inspired me to think about how I can spread the culture of my own country and how to get performed or better known to the public as a female.”
Tan’s fellow graduate student, Dave Vess, is also appreciative.
“She’s been delightful to work with,” says Vess. “We’ve talked a lot about career stuff – opportunities to pursue, things to do outside of school. She has given good advice about prioritizing the right things.”
