Elon’s Department of Music collaborated with Soprano Jennifer Lien to present Juxtapositions: European Orientalism, Asian America, & Asia in Whitley Auditorium on March 13. The program explored the stereotypes portrayed by European Musical Orientalism and created a platform for Asian American voices. The performance emphasized the challenges Asian women endured under European colonialism.
Soprano Jennifer Lien and Pianist Douglass Jurs presented a beautiful sentiment of Asian culture within historical contexts. Lien is known for her presence in contemporary and chamber music. She has performed worldwide from California to Singapore, shocking audiences with her unique range.
As a Classical Western European Opera singer, Lien said she noticed a lack of Asian voices in her studies of European composers. She was intrigued by the white male model used to create Asian narratives while excluding Asian individuals. She said Europeans had a fascination with Asian culture.
“I said wait a minute, let us tell our own stories,” Lien said. “So I discovered Asian American composers writing about Asian content. I noticed there was a small amount of these stories. This inspired me to create a coalition with 3 Asian American female composers to write sets of songs, 45 minutes worth of songs, 15 minutes each based on Asian American texts. This will be my next project.”
Lien said she is now an ambassador for Asian American Composers and hopes to collaborate with them in the future. She hopes to share these Asian narratives to educate others about their history.
“I want to be an ambassador for them and share their stories with students, singers, and audiences,” Lien said. “I think so how long do BIPOC singers and musicians working in our medium need to have a repertoire that tells our stories and reflects our experiences?”
As a teacher, Lien said she offers guidance to students interested in pursuing a music career. She worked with sophomores Corinne Wilson and Andrea Baca on Melissa Dunphy’s section the Four Poems of Nikita Gill. Wilson and Baca are sopranos who were selected to perform “Me Too” the last score of this section.
“We reviewed the music sheets on our own and then collaborated with Lien for this performance tonight,” Wilson said. “It was a fun experience and a great opportunity for us to explore the various avenues of music. It was a bit challenging with different notes and lines following the piano but I believe we both nailed it.”
Wilson said she was honored to perform this piece with Lien, as it emphasizes an important message to the audience. She said it gave her an opportunity to learn about Asian American voices and Western culture music.
“There was a powerful message for women,” Wilson said. “The piece explored femininity with a reflection of soft feminist rhythms. This song emphasized the unity of women as the 3 of us sang together I could feel the emotions through my body.”
Junior Sadie Margolis came to support Lien in the recital after receiving advice from her in the classroom. Margolis is a vocal performance major who met Lien a day before her recital.
“Her guidance helped me improve my vocal range,” Margolis said. “ She told me to focus on the musicality of it, focus on how the language of the Italian the direction of it like really drives pace. Which I found interesting, I was very grateful for her help and decided to come tonight and support her performance.”
Margolis said she was impressed by Lien’s vocal range and more engaged in learning about Asian cultures. She also said it presented diverse perspectives that inspired others to travel the world and discover new stories.
“The best parts of her performance were the short stories that connected with each song,” Margolis said. “She added depth to each song with Asian narratives that pulled me in from the start. Not only is she an amazing singer, but creative storyteller. It all came together for an incredible concert.”