Featuring performances by:
Hanxiao Zhou, flute
Kunpeng Zhao, oboe
Max Désouvré, alto saxophone
Jiating Yu, cello
Jiawen Zhong, Yu Zhao, Xiaoyue Guo, and Zifan Chen, voice
Yinong Ren, Yuxin Wang, Yizhi Wan, Jiali Liu, Xingchen Li, and Manyao Zhang, piano
- This event has passed.
SECOND STAGE: Jiali Liu, composition | Nature and Poetry | Graduating Student Project
Saturday, May 9, 2026 | 3:00 pm 4:00 pm
artist bio
Jiali Liu is a Chinese composer. Her creative work explores the intersection of Western contemporary techniques and Eastern aesthetics, with a particular focus on timbre, texture, and poetic expression.
Her musical inspiration comes from literature, visual imagery, and philosophical thought, and she is especially interested in creating immersive soundscapes that integrate traditional instrumental writing with contemporary sonic language. Her recent works include solo, chamber, and vocal pieces performed by the Radius Ensemble, the Longy Orchestra and so on.
Program Notes and Texts
1. She Walks in Beauty
By Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
2. Moon Shadow （月影）
This piece reflects the image of moonlight cast upon the earth, where shifting light and shadow create a quiet and contemplative atmosphere.
3. Let Life Be Beautiful Like Summer Flowers （生如夏花）
The text is drawn from the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, translated from Stray Birds.
Inspired by Tagore’s poetic reflection on the fleeting yet radiant nature of life, this work expresses a sense of vitality and emotional intensity, like summer flowers blooming in full brilliance before fading.
4. Distant Mountain（远山）
Distant mountains hold a dusky hue; nearby waters rise in mist.
远⼭含黛，近⽔⽣烟
This piece is inspired by Chinese mountain songs (shange) and traditional landscape aesthetics. The vocal-like instrumental writing and flowing melodic gestures reflect the expansive, free rhythmic nature of folk singing in mountainous regions. Through layered textures and shifting sonic perspective, the work transforms the image of distant landscapes into a musical space where memory, space, and resonance gradually unfold.
5. When the Wind Passes Through the Forest
This piece is inspired by the subtle sound of wind moving through a forest, incorporating elements of the Chinese bamboo flute (dizi) , exploring delicate timbral changes and breath-based textures.
6. Starlit Sea
A shimmering, vast sea under starlight, where stillness and motion intertwine and resonate with one another.
7. Interwoven Lines
This piece focuses on contrapuntal texture and linear interaction, where independent voices gradually converge into a unified musical structure.
8. Prelude to Water Melody · Thinking of the Past at Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou
永遇乐·京口北固亭怀古
Poem by Xin Qiji (辛弃疾)(1140–1207)
Translation by Xu Yuanchong
The land has been the same through ages long,
But he roes like Sun Zhongmou are all gone.
The dancing hall, the singing stage,
All gallant deeds have passed into s hade.
The slanting sun sheds light on grass and tree,
And common streets, where lived the king Liu Yu.
I think of his great army in golden gear,
Which swept the foe as tigers do a deer.
Liu Yilong in hasty war array
Tried to win a victory at far-off Mobei;
But failed and in dismay
He faced the north with sighs of deep regret.
Forty – three years have passed since I left the scene;
I still remember the beacon fire on Yangzhou Plain.
How can I bear to look back to the old days
When in the Tartar temple foxes made their stays,
And crows flew in the air, and drums were beat?
Who will ask an old general if he still can fight?
Original Chinese Text
千古江⼭，英雄⽆觅，孙仲谋处。
舞榭歌台，风流总被、⾬打风吹去。
斜阳草树，对⾯巷陌，⼈道寄奴曾住。
想当年，⾦⼽铁马，⽓吞万⾥如虎。
元嘉草草，封狼居胥，得仓皇北顾。
四⼗三年，望中犹记，烽⽕扬州路。
可堪回⾸，佛狸祠下，⼀⽚神鸦社⿎。
凭谁问，廉颇⽼矣，尚能饭否?
Second Stage Series
Be part of the excitement as Longy’s developing artists share their ideas, test their creativity, and invite you into their artistic journey. You’ll witness the energy and originality that emerge when musicians explore new possibilities and take bold steps in their growth. Every performance gives you a front-row seat to the making of tomorrow’s artists.
Longy’s performances are free and open to the public, but please register in advance.
Related Events
Thanks to our partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and their “Card to Culture” program, Longy School of Music of Bard College can offer free tickets to many of our diverse and innovative performance offerings. See the full list of participating “Card to Culture” organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.