CHIME NEWSLETTER NO. 22

September, 2016

 

 

 

 

CHIME Journal Vol. 20 now (freely available) on-line

 

The first exclusively electronic, full-colour edition of the CHIME Journal, vol. 20, is currently available on-line. 216 pages tightly packed with information and articles on wide-ranging  aspects of Chinese music. The journal is freely accessible on-line and downloadable via www.chimemusic.nl

 

 This latest edition of the journal contains essays on:

- Suzhou Ping-tan (story-telling and -singing) by Shi Yinyun

- Dongjing (religious scripture) performances in Yunnan (by Zhang Boyu)

- Local Sichuan Opera 'Torch Troupes' (by Catherine Capdeville-Zeng)

- Rhythm in the ancient vocal score 'Drunken Dotard Refrain' (by Marnix Wells)

  as well as papers in Chinese on:

- Dong ethnic folk songs in southern China (by Yang Xiao)

- The Shanghai Contemporary Music Week 2008-14 (by Li Pengcheng and Lu Yao)

 

Additionally, vol. 20 offers a generous selection of book and cd reviews, as well as a 28-page section of news on people, concerts, projects and publications in the realm of Chinese music. Sit back and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20th International Conference of the European Foundation for

Chinese Music Research

UCLA, Los Angeles, 29 March – 2 April 2017

 

 

Call for papers

 

 

CHIME's 20th International Conference will be held in Los Angeles between 29 March and 2 April 2017. The hosting institution is the World Music Center of the Department of Ethnomusicology, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, with generous sponsorship from the UCLA Confucius Institute.

 

Conference themes: The main theme of the conference is "Chinese and East Asian music in Festivals." In acknowledgement of the ongoing Dunhuang project collaboration between UCLA, the UCLA Confucius Institute and the Getty Center, a second theme is performing arts of western China and its neighbours. In addition, as always, we are interested in new research on other aspects of Chinese and East Asian music.

 

 

Coastal California, with its local Chinese communities, Mediterranean climate and abundance of regional art festivals, seems a fitting environment for a celebratory CHIME conference on the topic of "Chinese and East Asian music in Festivals." Festivals are a major framework for a good deal of ceremonial, ritual and calendrical music making in rural traditional China, and also in neighbouring countries. But that is not all. Music festivals – of a different, more modern signature – have become an important part of present-day urban culture in East Asia; and the success of a lot of Chinese and East Asian music on international stages largely depends on performances in the framework of foreign art festivals. All these facts have induced us to take up the topic and to examine in more detail the role of Chinese and East Asian music in festival contexts. We invite papers on any aspect of this theme, and would also like to invite other suitable proposals and suggestions which could turn this special edition of the annual international CHIME meeting into a festive and worthy occasion!

 

AV equipment: UCLA's rooms have Macintosh computers with projectors for PowerPoint, etc. We can also show DVDs and play CDs. Alternatively, you can bring your own laptop.

 

Proposals: We invite proposals for the following types of presentations:

• 20-minute individual paper, to be followed by 10 minutes of questions

• organized panel of three/four 20-minute papers, allowing 10 mins of questions for each

• film showing

• workshop on a particular performance genre

• roundtable on a particular topic

• poster presentation

 

For a 20-minute individual paper, a film showing, or a poster presentation, please submit a 300-word abstract that has a descriptive title and explains clearly the content of the proposed presentation. For film proposals, include the length of the film. Please include your name and email address.

 

For an organized panel, please provide a panel title and a 300-word abstract of the overall panel, along with titles and 100- to 200-word abstracts for each individual paper. Please provide the names and email addresses of all panel members.

 

For workshops and roundtables, please provide a descriptive title and a 300-word abstract of what is proposed. Please include the names and email addresses of all participants.

 

All proposals should be sent to hrees@ucla.edu. Subject line should read CHIME 2017 PROPOSAL. Your submission will be acknowledged within a day or two to confirm receipt, so if you haven't received such acknowledgement after a week or so, please request confirmation.

 

Special note on poster presentations: We explicitly invite proposals for presentations in poster format. We view these as a full-fledged alternative to panels and individual papers, and a very effective format to introduce research topics in more depth. The poster session works a bit like an exhibition or a "market," with a crowd moving around freely and individually, and presenters introducing their research on posters (with photos, graphs, music notations, etc.), and with the help of music and film samples on laptops, and with individual explanations at greater length than one could manage within the standard 20-minute spoken paper format. We expect to reserve a generous timeslot for the poster session (several hours or one entire afternoon), with no parallel activities taking place. With the number of presenters who may be coming to this special iteration of CHIME in Los Angeles, it may also be the only way to ensure that everyone with interesting data and viewpoints can be accommodated!

 

Programme committee members: Helen REES (UCLA, chair), CHENG Zhiyi (Shanghai-based filmmaker), François Picard (Université Paris-Sorbonne), WU Fan (East China Normal University)

Deadline for proposals: 15 November 2016

Notification of acceptance or rejection: by 1 January 2017

 

If you need earlier notification for visa or other reasons, please tell us, and we'll fast-track your proposal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching Chinese music

CHIME Workshop at the Confucius Institute,

Hamburg (Germany), 17-20 November 2016

 

Youngsters in present-day China grow up primarily with Chinese and Western pop. Traditional music still exists, but its performers have to compete with pop stars, belcanto singers and other professionally trained musicians in televized music contests and glamour shows. Chinese folk songs, temple music, regional operas, puppetry and storysinging continue in their own right, as they have done for centuries. But the gap between these genres and urban music has become considerable, also in the realm of music education. Traditional ways to teach people to perform Chinese music differ greatly from modern 'academic' methods. So what can be done to bridge the gap, or to make it smaller? And what is actually the 'right' way to teach any specific genre or instrument?

 

From 17 to 20 November 2016, the Confucius Institute in Hamburg will host a three-day workshop on the topic of music education in China. (The programme starts in the morning of Thursday 17 November, so the arrival day is 16 November. It ends on Sunday 20 November at noon.)

Chinese vocalists and musicians playing zithers, lutes and other traditional instruments will present their views concerning the many changes that have taken place in music teaching. Composers of new music and music theorists, as well as a number of Western scholars and musicians involved with Chinese music, have been co-invited to offer their thoughts. The workshop, organized in cooperation with CHIME and the Institute of Musicology of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, is open to the public.

A list of speakers will soon be available on http://www.ki-hh.de/chime-conference-2016  (A detailed programme schedule will follow in mid-September).

A number of presentations and debates will be held in Chinese, but many speakers are expected bring hand-out summaries of their presentations in English. In some cases we also hope to offer some on-the-spot translation in German.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OTHER CONFERENCES

 

 

Creativity and Diversity

11th International Conference on Daoist Studies

 

Nanterre, Paris, France

May  17-20, 2017

 

For the last thirteen years, the international conference on Daoist Studies has been instrumental in enhancing the study, application, and awareness of Daoism throughout the world. The only major Daoist conference series, it follows a tradition that began in Boston (2003) and continued through Mt. Qingcheng (2004), Fraueninsel in Bavaria (2006), Hong Kong (2007), Mt. Wudang (2009), Los Angeles (2010), Mt. Nanyue (2011), Ammersee Lake near Munich (2012), Boston University (2014), and Miaoli, Taiwan (2016). Thanks to the generous hosting of the Unversity of Paris at Nanterre, the 11th conference will take place near metropolitan Paris in France.

 

This year’s theme is “Creativity and Diversity.” The focus is on the artistic and extraordinary expression of Daoist worldview and practice, both in history and today. Panels and presentations focus particularly on anthropological studies and expressions of Daoism in art, music, dance, ritual, theater, literature, film medicine, and more.

 

Chairs: Adeline Herrou, CNRS & Livia Kohn, Boston University

Keynote Speakers: Brigitte Baptendier and Vincent Goossaert.

 

Format: After arrival in Paris on Tuesday, May 16, the conference begins at 9 am on Wednesday, May 17, with an opening ceremony and keynote speeches. It ends at 2 pm on Saturday, May 20, after a closing plenary session. There are twelve 1¾-hour sessions total (3 on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday, 4 on Friday, and 2 on Saturday), each consisting of parallel events: panels of academic presentations, forums of textual study, practice-focused workshops with minimal talking, and documentary videos or films. There will be a concert of Daoist music on Thursday afternoon and a banquet on evening.

 

Panels: Three 20-minute or four 16-minute individual paper presentations on the panel theme, followed by the discussant’s 5-minute comments, presenters’ responses, and open discussion (1¾ hours). In all cases, an effort will be made to join Chinese and Western representatives. PPTs should be bilingual. Some translation will be provided.

 

Forums: An opportunity to read a particular text with a group of learned scholars. Pre­senters post their text on the web a month ahead of time for participants to prepare.

 

Workshops: Emphasis on practice and experience (1¾ hours). The workshop room will not have tables, chairs, or PPT equipment. It is for moving or sitting practice exclusively.

Languages: Conference sessions will be in Chinese, English, and/or French.

 

Deadlines:  April 1, 2017 (registration closes, abstracts due (no extensions)), and May 1, 2017 (conference program e-mailed and posted online).

 

For more information on the meeting (vendors, fees, possibilities for scholarships etc), and for registering for the meeting, contact daoconf@gmail.com.