The Bridges from Home

Abstract

A bridge connects two places. My personal bridge connects my path from Taiwan to the United States, broadens my world, and helps me become who I am. My bridge also connects two different musical styles. The recording starts with arrangements of folk songs, in which the audience can easily approach and understand the character and the style. From this starting point, the audience can notice the Taiwanese musical color and elements that will occur in the piano trio pieces which are written in more complicated form. By blending Taiwanese musical language with Western culture, Ching-Ju Shih, Deh-Ho Lai, and Su-Ti Chen create a bridge between tradition and innovation. Being educated in both Taiwan and Western countries, these three composers&rsquo; music is influenced by both. The beauty of the integration between Western and Eastern cultures.</p