"To Be or Not TO Be?!" (2024) by Chihchun Chi-sun Lee
for sinfonietta: flute, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, Alto saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, F tuba, percussion (2), harp, piano, and 1,1,1,1,1
Date: 2024/03/07
Performers: IU NME (IU New Music Ensemble); conducted by Jae Hwan Lee, directed by Dr. David Dzubay
Venue: Auer Concert Hall, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University
PROGRAM NOTES:
"To be, or not to be?!" is a piece that reflects current events, specifically towards Hate Crimes related to shootings. There were more than 300 school shootings in US in 2022, plus countless of other shootings relate to hate crimes, such as LA Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting (pro-China shooter with strong political discrepancy and hatred toward to Taiwanese,) Dallas salon shooting by hatred toward to Asian Americans in Koreatown, the Buffalo mass shooting by hatred toward to African Americans, the Ukraine vs. Russia war, all of these unfortunate events are all willfully attempted by using firearms to cause bodily injury to others.
What makes one have any right to (deadly) harm others? In the US, the biggest problem is the gun regulations and the lack of gun control. Texas has released the news that mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 was the 199th shootings in 2022, which caused 19 ten years old students’ lives. Why does this keep happening? What is the purpose of the legislation and second amendment when we cannot even protect our children? Do we still live in the middle age where we need to bear arms to hunt for our daily meals? Take a look at Russia's invasion, there were more than 200,000 military casualties and at least 40,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed.
None of these are justified killing. One wonders “To be, or not to be?” Not only for the people who are in the midst of these events, but also for the ones who are making selfish decisions, choices and arguments to further the tragedies.
The piece To be, or not to be?! centralize on the following events: 1) School shootings; 2) Anti-Asian Hate Crimes; 3) Anti-African American Hate Crimes; and 4) Russia-Ukraine war.
Some motivic ideas will be inspired by the natives (original heritages) and nations. Many techniques from traditional instruments of each related nation are adapted to the western instruments in the chamber orchestra to represent native heritage. Moreover, the extended techniques are used prominently in the piece to describe certain sceneries.