The interviews for Spotlight are conducted by Ken Gallo, who writes/edits Meet The Composer's newsletter, MTC NOTES.

P.Q. Phan

P.Q. Phan

Listen: Beyond The Mountains (RealAudio)

After several unsuccessful attempts to flee Communist Vietnam, one of which landed him in prison, P.Q. Phan finally found freedom when he came to America in 1982. Trained in Vietnam as an architect, he abandoned his profession once he arrived to study composition at USC and the University of Michigan. Last year, as part of their "20th Century Snapshot Series," American Composers Orchestra commissioned Mr. Phan to write music celebrating the new millennium. What began as a jubilant piece took a decidedly brusque turn due to the events of Independence Day weekend 1999: a shooting spree by a white supremacist that killed two non-whites in Illinois and Indiana. The tragedy literally hit too close to home for Mr. Phan, who was teaching at Indiana University at the time. His finished work reveals a vision of America in which we all share: a skeptical idealism, what he refers to as a "hope for a brighter future."

Mr. Phan will begin his Music Alive Residency at ACO in early October, culminating at Carnegie Hall on October 15th, 2000 with the premiere of When The Worlds Mixed and Times Merged in ACO's Pacifica program (celebrating the Pacific Rim influence in American music). His music can also be heard on Banana Trumpet Games, his recently released CD from Composers Recordings, Inc.

We spoke with Mr. Phan about Vietnam, freedom, his music, and Music Alive

MTC: Was there a composer that inspired you to compose?
PQP: At first, no. When I was back in Vietnam, my first wish to compose was to facilitate myself to have more music to practice. There was no particular composer in mind. However, there are composers that I admire a lot. Great American composers like Charles Ives. I think he is a very fascinating composer. Somehow I find Ives close to me. Ives' music consists of several layers which reflect many ideas which are very close to what I want to do. Many layers of different cultural reflections.
MTC: Do you play an instrument?
PQP: I taught myself how to play piano.
MTC: You were also trained as an architect in Vietnam. When did you decide to become a composer instead of an architect or musician?
PQP: The very first day I arrived in this country. I decided to be a composer for many reasons. I recognized that I loved to create things. On top of that, my playing for the piano was totally hopeless; to be a concert pianist, anyway, was hopeless. I concentrated more on composition. At the same time I decided not to pursue my career as an architect.
MTC: How did your Eastern heritage and Western influence lend itself to developing an original voice as a composer?
PQP: This is how it works: at the very beginning I concentrated towards mainly creating pure Eurocentric music. But, the longer I stayed in this country the further I recognized the value of my original culture. I went through a long course of examining Vietnamese traditional music. The aesthetic of the Vietnamese musical tradition is something that can offer me the most. Not only the musical aesthetic, but the way people think about the music, and art in general, as an aesthetic back in Vietnam.
MTC: How do Vietnamese and American Musical traditions come together in your music?
PQP: The reason I mix American music and Vietnamese traditional music is because of my social situation. It's not because I do this as a way for me to prove something. I do this because I have to reflect my identity. If I'm still in Vietnam then my intention would not be to mix American music and Vietnamese music. But, because I am a Vietnamese-American I need to find my own voice; my own musical language that reflects my identity.
MTC: What are your memories of Vietnam in the '70s and how do they influence you?
PQP: There were many good things and many bad things. It was a difficult situation with the war. I grew up going through many political changes. I am originally from the democratic part of the country: the South. Going through the Vietnam War, which none of us understood, then being a part of the Communist Regime… The memories are difficult to explain. The one thing that I got out of it, is the total value of freedom and free-thinking and not to take life for granted. Going through all the hard times with the Communist Regime I value the freedom I have a lot more. That's all I can say.
MTC: You were a political prisoner after the war?
PQP: Yes.
MTC: What did you think when you lost your freedom?
PQP: Those six months were… I thought that there was no future. To live in Vietnam under the Communist Regime…you don't think about the future. In prison it's even worse than that. It's a real dead end. You have to force yourself to be somewhat positive from one day to another and hope that you get out and find a way to rebuild your life. To be in a Communist country was something totally out of my imagination. Life is completely different since the day I came here.
MTC: The piece written for ACO, When The Worlds Mixed and Times Merged, you initially began as a celebratory piece for ACO's Millenium series at Carnegie Hall. But, during the writing a three day shooting spree by a white supremacist occurred in Illinois and Indiana. What sort of affect did the shooting have on you and how did it change the direction of the piece?
PQP: It happened so close to my home. I was teaching at the University of Illinois and in the Spring of 1999 I had been invited and planned to teach at Indiana University. In July of 1999, both campuses, U of I and Indiana, had shootings. It was terrifying. Old home, new home. The incident made me feel like it doesn't matter how much I try I will never be part of this culture; of this country, just because I look different. Not because I think different, not because I don't want to be part of this country; just because I look different. That event didn't exactly inspire my entire composition. However, it made an impact for me to take a sharp turn in the direction of it. From the beginning I planned to do many sketches of musical celebration, but because of the incident it made me more skeptical about our culture in the future. I couldn't avoid putting my personal reflection in that composition. The composition ends with hope for a brighter future; a happy ending.
MTC: Was it even more troubling when you found out the shooter was an IU student?
PQP: Frightening. It also indicated that the shooting was not a random act. It was an intentioned act; something that people had planned to do on purpose…that makes things even more scary.
MTC: In a residency, how important are the activities beyond the performance?
PQP: I find this (Music Alive) residency interesting for me; not only for me to share my ideas but to learn from younger people as well. Beside the rehearsal, there is a difficult technical part that we need to do, I will go out and meet a lot of young students from some parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Harlem. For me, to learn from young people from different parts of the country; how they think about their situation and about their generation, it is almost like a social interchange. To renew and refresh my ideas, and to reinforce my thinking about social status, is very important. During the two weeks, I will also participate in a conference call: "Animating Democracy." A group of artists and art enthusiasts, including myself, will get together to support each other and talk about issues and how we can use and utilize art to deal with democracy and civic matters.
MTC: How important is it to show a young person what art can do?
PQP: It is absolutely important. On the teaching part, my main concentration is not about teaching the technical part of composition, but to encourage them to think about the philosophical aspect of their compositions. I try to motivate them. I try to encourage them to think: why music? why write music? Surprisingly, a lot of the younger generation keep writing music and beautiful tunes; very well crafted compositions, but when you ask them what the music is all about they have a very blank idea. I think it's very important to find a way to inspire them to think of music on a more substantial level.
MTC: Did you think like this as a young person?
PQP: No. I grew up self-taught. When I came to school for formal training, my teachers always talked about that. A formal training in ethnomusicology also helped me to think more about philosophical and social aspects as well.
MTC: What music do you listen to now?
PQP: I listen to anything that comes out. I try very hard to find new music from any part of the world. Anything from Asia or Europe or the U.S. On top of that I spend a lot of time listening to traditional music. I love traditional music from the world very much.
MTC: What is the strangest CD you own?
PQP: Trance music from the Middle East and North Africa. I love that stuff. Perhaps that is the strangest thing.
MTC: What is your favorite instrument to compose for?
PQP: I love to compose for orchestra.
MTC: Within the orchestra, is their a particular instrument you are drawn to?
PQP: No. I view the orchestra as an instrument. The orchestra allows me to convey several ideas which can happen simultaneously. I have a hard time with…lets say solo piano. The solo piano can not help me do things that have two or three ideas going on at the same time. The color of the orchestra helps me to do that.
MTC: How do getting grants help you?
PQP: They help me to share my music with a broader audience. If you don't have a commission from a well known organization, your music can only can be played within a small circle. The commission from the ACO is so great because I will have the premiere in New York and be exposed to a very important audience. The focus in New York is very sharp.
MTC: What advice would you give a young composer seeking to get funding/commissions?
PQP: Keep trying. Write a lot of music. Write good music. Introduce your music to a lot of people. In a way it's a form of self-promoting. I still spend a lot of time sending my tapes to people in the mail. Unfortunately, all of this is not free of charge (laughs), I use money from my own pocket to do it.