How Can We Not Sing?

Workshop Description: This workshop will take audiences through the creation process of their most recent work, How Can We Not Sing. Their song was developed in response to the current issue of solidarity between Asian and Black people all over the world. They believe this type of anti-racist collaborative project centers the vital role of art to bring us together. Audience members will engage with music creators and each other to reflect on social justice themes. The performance begins with the musical piece and then take participants through four components: the creation of lyrical content, music composition, the collaboration process, and discussion/taking questions. The Chinese government’s silencing of our people intersects with the silencing of Black people by the United States’ criminal justice system. Though these experiences are different, this connection is where we begin our work of standing against injustice. This project is designed for music creators, artists from other disciplines who want to work with music creators, and people interested in understanding this type of process. This experience will bring these groups together to have a conversation about social justice through art creation.

Join on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 10am CDT.

Production Team: Yan Pang is a composer, performer, and scholar. She is currently an adjunct instructor of music at the University of Minnesota, where she received her Ph.D. in Music with a minor in Theater Arts & Dance. Her work focuses on inter-cultural music composition and performance. As part of this interest, she has been commissioned to compose and invited to perform in music festivals throughout the world. Her upcoming performance, “MIXTAPE IV: Now Streaming,” will be performed at the Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts in February 2021. To learn more, please visit www.yanpangcreate.com.

AK is a composer/musician now living in Warsaw, Poland. After finishing a Master’s degree study about the theory of harmony in the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, she moved to Poland. She tended to create music pieces to combine electronic sounds, visual material, and contemporary methods. She works as a freelance musician and has her own band Pomponika. AK composes, produces, sings, and performs different instruments. In her works, the text is as important as the music itself. Topics involve reflections about domestic violence, modern industry, nationalism, homophobia, also some inner thoughts about life, emotion, or death. More of her music can be found on Spotify, YouTube, and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pomponika/.

Annie Liang is a young and unstoppable singer-songwriter, mainly focusing on the pop-rock genre. With her unique voice, she has won the gold medal in the NetEase Cloud Music singing competition. She has also been invited to perform in several music festivals in Los Angeles and Beijing. She is also a talented songwriter whose songs are usually catchy and create an atmosphere that makes people feel powerful.