For Good Measure, by Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) Episode 40: Vivian Fung (part 2)
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In this week’s episode, we talk to Vivian Fung about being a female Asian composer of classical music in Canada and the U.S. If you enjoyed today’s conversation and want to know more about Vivian Fung, check her out here: vivianfung.ca. Parts of this episode originally premiered on March 2022, found on Youtube, click here.
This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors, like you. Want to support For Good Measure and E4TT? Make a tax-deductible donation or sign up for our newsletter, and subscribe to the podcast!
Intro music: “Trifolium” by Gabriela Ortiz, performed by E4TT (Ilana Blumberg, violin; Abigail Monroe, cello; Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Below the Surface: Music by Women Composers,” January 29, 2022 Outro music: “Lake Turkana” by Marcus Norris, performed by E4TT (Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Alchemy,” October 15, 2021
Transcription courtesy of Otter.ai.
Producer, Host, and E4TT co-founder: Nanette McGuinness Audio Engineer: Stephanie M. Neumann Podcast Cover Art: Brennan Stokes Interns: Roziht Edwards and Merve Tokar
[INTRO MUSIC] Welcome to For Good Measure, an interview series celebrating diverse composers and other creative artists sponsored by grant from the California Arts Council. I'm Nanette McGuinness, artistic executive director of Ensemble For These Times. In this week's episode, we continue our conversation with Vivian Fung, who we spoke to in March 2022.[INTRO MUSIC ENDS]. Would it have been easier if there had been people who looked like you to mentor you or to study with?
Vivian Fung:
Ya, that's, that's, that's the thing that I think was most difficult for me. I mean, growing up, I grew up in Canada, and I was, you know, I can remember in my elementary school, I was routinely called a chink. And I was like, you know, it was a, you know, it was it was discrimination, and just a lack of awareness of where I came from, and what that meant. And then, you know, when I was in college, I didn't really have, I mean, I had mentors, and I'm grateful for my mentors, but I didn't really have someone, I could talk to you about all these issues that, you know, have become so important to me, like identity, and like, gender, and also building a life around being composer not just writing music, but all the things that you have to do as human having a family, you know, building a life around it. And so, when it comes to me giving back now, now that I'm in my 40s, I find it really important to talk about these things. And that's, I love to do that as part of mentoring the next generation of composers.
Nanette McGuinness:
Given that there are multitudes of Asian North American experiences, could you speak about yours? What is it been like being an Asian composer of classical music in Canada, and the US any differences between Canada and the US or between coasts?
Vivian Fung:
I don't see myself as particularly, you know, one thing or another, I don't, I just compose, right. And what comes comes out comes out. But I think, you know, of course, its nature, nature nurture type of thing. Of course, your environment influences your being and your music. And I think a lot of the differences between Canada, the US are socio economic, you know, as far as the political infrastructure in each of the countries, they're very, very different. And that leads to differences in cultural tendencies, right. And so, I would say that it's neither good or bad, or better or worse, it's just very different. One thing I've noticed is, you know, in Canada being a Commonwealth country, there is an affinity to no more of the French or British influences, that it you know, there is that sort of tradition that is, is, though, that Canadians are proud of, especially in Quebec, with the tradition of the French. But I think, you know, the those generalizations are, again, it's their generalizations. But I do think that, you know, with infrastructure of Canada, having the support of the government, that makes a huge difference, as far as, you know, what gets programmed and what content there is, there versus here. I lived in New York for almost 30 years. And, and, you know, you have the concentration of musicians there and life, which is really rich. And New York is known for being a hub of a cultural activity on the West Coast, you know, in the Bay Area, things are a lot more spread out. So, you know, you have a lot of activity going on, but you know, not necessarily get to know about it, because of the geographic spread. It's I think there's there's still a wealth of music being written and being cultivated. It's just being spread out over this huge geographic area. So it can be a little bit trickier just because of that, but I Thank, you know, being here for, you know, a number of years, I've also gotten to know fabulous musicians to collaborate with. So I guess I, you know, for me, I have the best of all worlds because, you know, having lived on the East Coast, I still connect with, you know, my friends on the East Coast and the West Coast and making new friends here. And then being Canadian, I always had that, you know, to go back to and I still work with a lot of the groups up there. So I have this trifecta of different groups that I get to work with, which is great.
Nanette McGuinness:
[OUTRO MUSIC] Thank you for listening to For Good Measure, and a special thank you to our guest, Dawn Norfleet for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast by clicking on the subscribe button and support us by sharing it with your friends, posting about it on social media and leaving us a rating and a review. To learn more about E4TT Our concert season online and in the Bay Area where to make a tax deductible donation, please visit us at www.E4TT.org. This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors like you. "For Good Measure" is produced by Nanette McGuinness and Ensemble for These Times, and designed by Brennan Stokes. With special thanks to audio engineer extraordinaire Stephanie Neumann. Remember to keep supporting equity in the arts and tune in next week "for good measure." [OUTRO MUSIC ENDS]
Given that there are multitudes of Asian-North American experiences, could you speak about yours? What has it been like being an Asian composer of classical music in Canada and the U.S.? Any differences between Canada and the U.S. or between coasts?