Chromic Duo Explores History And Heritage In ‘From Roots We Carry’ Performance
Musicians Dorothy Chan and Lucy Yao, known as Chromic Duo, performed a free concert Oct. 18 at Rudder Forum, hosted by the Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
The performance, titled “From Roots We Carry,” blended classical music, traditional and toy piano, synthesizer and recorded voice samples. The duo is also collaborating with students, exploring augmented reality, composition, theatre, design visualization and performance.
Throughout the performance, Chan and Yao asked audience members to reflect on their personal history and their upbringing, as they shared pieces of music that connected to their childhood.
The program consisted of the following pieces:
- “Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4,” by Frederic Chopin, arranged by Chromic Duo
- “Have Fun Instead of Worrying” by Phong Tran
- “Laika bluu” by Nyokabi Kariuki
- “Arietta” by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Chromic Duo; “Karakurenai” by Andy Akiho
- “202220302, Sarabande” by Ryuichi Sakamoto
- “Path of the Wind, Totoro” by Joe Hisaishi
- “From Roots We Carry” by Chromic Duo, featuring an arrangement of “The How of It Sped” by Bing & Ruth
The performance of “From Roots We Carry” encapsulated story narration from Chan and Yao as they played. The piece was a collection of stories from people in the Asian-American community who shared where they came from and traits they inherited from their families. Chan said it is helpful to know where we came from, because we all have a story about how life has impacted us.
The performers had the audience members ponder three questions during the piece, and then take on the anonymous task of writing their responses on a small sticky note, leaving it on a board as they left the show. The questions: What are some of the things you felt like you inherited from your family? What are some of those things you want to keep, like legacies and traditions? And what are some of these things you want to shed, because they are no longer worth carrying?
Yao said they spoke with first- and second-generation immigrants in developing the piece, and each person revealed how much they learned or inherited from their parents. The duo wanted to create a piece that added value and understanding of these traits.
Chromic Duo is a grand prize winner of the Young Classical Artists Trust and Concert Artists Guild Competition. Yao lives in New York and was born in Michigan, with family roots in Shanghai, China. Chan grew up in colonial Hong Kong, China, and lives in Washington, D.C.
