A song composed by Dorothy Chang and based on my poem “Knot” (from Wavelengths of Your Song, McGill-Queen’s University Press) premiered at the Early Music Vancouver festival.

Alexander Varty in Create a Stir writes, “Further poetic journeys [in the Silk Strings program] will be explored by composer Dorothy Chang, but instead of working with ancient texts [as did Edward Top inspired by Tang Dynasty poets] in That Bare Light, she’s chosen to set the words of living Canadian writers: Miriam Dunn, Jan Zwicky, and Eleonore Schönmaier. Not coincidentally, all of them admire the concision and sensitivity to the natural world of their Zen and Taoist precursors.

‘All three kind of use natural images to talk about love and loss and the emotions around those things,’ [Co-organizer Christiana] Hutten explains. ‘They use the natural images to get at those emotions without using the emotional words that we often use to describe them…The three poems are each really exquisite.'”

The world premiere was on July 29, 2025 at 7:30 pm at the Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver.

From the program notes:

From the program:

Described as ‘evocative and kaleidoscopic’ and ‘beautiful and gripping,’ the music of composer Dorothy Chang reflects wide ranging musical influences. Her work has been featured in concerts and festivals across North America and abroad. In 2003, Dorothy joined the music faculty at the University of British Columbia, where she is currently a Professor of Music.

Emma Parkinson is a mezzo-soprano with an international career. She has performed across Canada and internationally, and she has been described as “an outstanding voice…hall-filling, supple, rich, dark-tinged, with a golden sheen…” (La Scena Musicale).

The Sound of Dragon Ensemble is “dedicated to creating/presenting new works for the combination of Chinese and western instruments and presenting contemporary music of Chinese roots/influences to the world stage.”