Up Skyward（2024）
Composition for Flute, English Horn / Alto Saxophone, and Cello
Duration: approx. 13 minutes
Composition: Kefan Chen
Performances
August 2025, Festival Contrasti 2025, Trento, Italy — performed by ensemble collettivo_21 October 2025, Prize Award Concert of the Franz Josef Reinl Foundation Composition Competition, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW)
Top Prize, Franz Josef Reinl Foundation Composition Competition
About
The inspiration for this piece comes from “Yi Gou Gou,” a traditional local opera from my hometown.
One of its
most distinctive features is the octave rise at the end of each vocal phrase, a unique melodic gesture that
shapes its expressive identity.
Unlike operas performed in grand theaters, “Yi Gou Gou” lives among the people.
Performers set up simple makeshift stages using basic scaffolding, often without amplification, microphones, or
elaborate equipment, and the performance begins.
Accompanied by a small folk orchestra, villagers of all ages gather to watch, turning these performances into the cultural highlight of festivals and celebrations for centuries.
Drawing inspiration from the characteristic “slide-up” gesture and other musical elements I observed in “Yi Gou Gou,” I composed Up Skyward with the intention of bringing the essence of this tradition into contemporary music.
The work seeks to preserve and transform the unique spirit of “Yi Gou Gou,” allowing new audiences to experience its vitality in an entirely different musical context.
Recording