Shih-Hui Chen
陳士惠
photo by Marco Giugliarelli/Civitella Ranieri
Recipient of the 2023 Walter Hinrichsen Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Taiwanese American composer SHIH-HUI CHEN is fascinated by the narratives at the intersection of identity, culture, and tradition. In her works, she seeks to cross boundaries between music and society, between the music of distinct cultures, and between music and other art forms.
This perspective informs her creative works and community projects. For example, her recent project, a cross-genre theatrical work, Kimchi, Pickles and Wine, explores the idea of food preservation to bring together people of all worldwide cultures. Her desire to create connections among members of the global community led her to found 21C: Classical, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Asian Music, an annual performing arts festival fostering intercultural exchange between Asia and the U.S. through a series of lectures and performances.
Seeking a more in-depth understanding of the music and cultures of her homeland, Chen spent two years studying indigenous and nanguan music in Taiwan, in affiliation with the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica; the works that grew from this study synthesize a variety of musical genres. They include Withholding the Umbrella for Chinese Orchestra, inspired by Taiwanese nanguan music and commissioned by the Taiwan Institute; Returning Souls: Four Short pieces on Three Formosan Amis Legends, music Chen composed for a documentary by anthropological filmmaker Taili Hu; and Echoes from Within: A Musical Response to Cy Twombly, a 45-minute site-specific work for sheng, double bass and electronics, commissioned by The Menil Collection in collaboration with composer Kurt Stallmann.
2023年二度獲得美國學院文藝作曲獎 、 2022年第33屆傳藝金曲獎最佳編曲提名的台灣作曲家陳士惠，1982年赴美深造並取得波士頓大學作曲博士學位。2000年起任教於美國萊斯大學音樂院，現為該校專任教授、「古樂今曲」音樂節執行長、亞洲協會 (Asia Society) 的表演藝術委員。她曾連續三年擔任美國傅爾布萊特（Fulbright) 獎評審委員、萊斯大學音樂院作曲系主任三年、Syzygy現代音樂會執行長十年。
旅美期間，陳士惠的作品不但曾獲得：美國國家文藝獎、羅馬音樂大獎、古根漢基金會獎、洛克斐勒基金會獎。她常年在美國發表作品，也多次赴韓國、德國及義大利等地演出；歷年合作演出的樂團包括：費城、克里夫蘭、西雅圖以及台灣交響樂團。
個人創作之外，陳士惠還多次策劃、執行跨界的音樂會，例如: 2013年她與胡台麗合作的台灣原住民阿美族紀錄片《讓靈魂回家》在美國七所大學巡迴演出；2015年在萊斯大學、亞洲協會舉辦的「國際絲竹音樂營」；2016年南管「古樂今曲」在美國六所大學的巡迴演出等。
2010- 2013年期間，陳士惠以傅爾布萊特學者及台灣獎助金身份回台，在中研院、南管管閣研究學習了兩年。這期間的研究與學習對她的創作有很大的影響，例如：《法鼓山水陸法會》(動畫配樂)、《推枕著衣──南管新唱》(南管琵琶及管弦樂團)、《請恢復我們的姓名》（為排灣詩人莫那能的詩而譜的人聲與室內樂)。
陳士惠近期的創作有：為國樂團所寫的《留傘》、古箏協奏曲《廣陵散的迴響》，以及專為Cy Twombly 美術館量身製作，由演奏者帶領著觀眾游移於整座美術館的八個空間的作品──《Echoes from Within: a Musical Response to Cy Twombly》 (笙、bass and electronics，與作曲家Kurt Stallmann 合作) 。這件作品除了與現代畫家 Cy Twombly的畫互相對應之外， 更重要的是讓觀眾重新認識這些抽象化畫、場地、空間，及其加上聲音所帶來的感受。