Piano Language
At Cadence Collective Foundation, we are dedicated to bring together talented and passionate artists who believe in the transformative power of music and bring together multi-disciplinary artists to create inspiring and impactful works. Uniting poet Michelle Chen and pianist/composer Hanbo Ma, Piano Language is an original composition that combines multiple art forms into one piece. Michelle Chen is a poet residing in both Los Angeles and Guang Zhou. Her poem Piano Language eloquently releases a unique artistic tension through its minimalist verses and immediately grabbed Hanbo Ma's attention. Ma, focusing on presenting the core essence of the poem in a narrative monologue style, presenting their first collaboration that explores the experimental fusion of classical and contemporary popular music. Piano Language is now available on all major streaming platforms, garnering praise from notable publications such as Sino and Music China, among others. It was premiered at the Steinway & Son's New Year Gala Concert in 2019.
Never thought you’d return
It’s been ten years
The leaves are red again
Time passes in a haze
I play on and off
Embarrassed at first
That every song becomes
A funny dream about you
You’re always at my side
Close to the piano
Laughing with such ease
Mute wood and wind
Echoing what’s within
We do not speak
I know you’re still listening
As the last note fades
New Year's Eve/除夕夜
This is the second collaboration between poet Michelle Chen and pianist/composer Hanbo Ma. Grammy-winning producer Matthew Snyder played a key role in achieving the exceptional production quality of this project as well. This new art song combines elements of traditional art song with a touch of contemporary flair, featuring conversations between voice and piano with a poignant sigh at the end. It was debuted by pianist Hanbo Ma and vocalist You Zhao at the 2019 Steinway Lunar New Year Gala Concert and received critical acclaims from Global Times, Sina, Sohu and others.
除夕夜
燃烧的木柴
一不小心
迸裂成
火星与灰烬
写下的计划
想做的太多
完成的却很少
彻夜添柴拨火
忘了时间
火焰的熏香
令人迷醉
像极了小时候那年除夕
爸爸离开书桌
为我烤焦的面包
Burning firewood
without warning
bursts
into sparks and ash
So many things
I want to do
yet I’ve finished so few
All through the night
I stoke the fire
losing track of time
the flame’s scent
intoxicating
Like the charred bread
my father once toasted for me
when he left his desk
on a New Year’s Eve
Free Educational Videos
Free weekly educational videos on topics such as How to play octaves, How to play repeated notes, How to practice for fast passages... are now on Youtube created by Dr. Ma. Click the link in the left to see an example of the tutorials. English subtitles are available through CC.
Conducting from the piano
Dr. Ma's project of conducting from the piano was performed at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. She conducted and played piano at the same time, performing Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2.