Even though by this point we’d collaborated on several significant works and had gotten to know each other better than we’ve ever known any fellow artist, I still felt honored and humbled when she asked me to join her in crafting this work, the commission she got as the First Prize Winner of the 2024 SEAMUS/Sweetwater Student Commission Award. An artwork is an expression of oneself, and to invite anyone else into creating it, particularly one with such professional significance, is a very unique kind of trust.
This was the first time she ever performed any of her own works, and for me, hearing each musical gesture come directly from her in its unfiltered expressivity was surreal, transfixing like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was a truly unforgettable experience to be part of making this work happen.
Liann’s website: liannjkang.com
Victor Zheng 
Leave a comment