Asians Playing Western Music

During my recent trip to NYC in December, my aunt invited me to the Lincoln Center to a concert. She knows I love music, and especially classical music, so it was in honor of me that she bought these expensive tickets.

But, as I read the program (pdf file), I realized that the performance of Handel's Messiah was to be performed by a "Korean-American" concert choir called Peniel Choir.

This is how their program describes the choir:

Peniel Concert Choir, founded in June of 1986 with 20 members, is the only Korean-American Concert choir in the entire Northeast United States...

Peniel Concert Choir is a non-profit organization with founder Mr. Byung Choun Lee serving currently as music director and conductor.

Mr. Lee's biography is here (at the Peniel website) including this information:

Byung Choun Lee, the founder and Music Director [of Peniel], received his bachelor's in music as a voice major and a master's degree in music from Han Yang University in Seoul, Korea.

The program also lists its sponsors, including: The Korean Daily News (a New York publication exclusively in Korean) and the Korean Cultural Service NYC (clearly for Koreans - I guess "Service" gives it away).

As the concert progressed, I began to realize a certain "prettiness" in the performance, a lack of force, drive and even drama. I don't think this is simply a cultural phenomenon (as in misunderstanding the Messiah's content, message, meaning, etc...). I think it is a physio/cerebral problem. I've seen it happen in art and design, and even in science - a friend of mine was a Korean PhD student. At some level, I think Asians demonstrate some ability (i.e. memorization, or fast, scale-like exercises). But there seems to be an inability to create a synthesized beauty, which is what much of art (and order in Science) is about.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra also shows this Asiaphilia.

Here are some notable positions by Asians at the TSO:

- Violins
8/28 are Asian (30% of the section).
Concert Master - Etsuko Kimura (female and Asian)

- Violas
2/11 are Asian (20%)
Principal - Treng Li (male and Asian)

- Clarinets
1/6 is Asian (15%)
- Associate Principle - Yao Guang Zai

Not only are Asians dispersed around the orchestra, they are also given lead positions in certain sections. But they are notably absent in the brass and percussion sections. Although that could just be a matter of time, these instruments (brass and percussion) might actually be too physically demanding for them.

I have attended Handel's Messiah performed by the TSO, and it was the same effect of expecting (wishing for) more drama, or oomph!.

So this is what multiculturalism is bringing us. I think it is a mixture of aggressive Asians pushing their way in everywhere, and a liberal white public that wants these multi-culti influences to dominate in its cities and institutions. Asians seem "better" than the other ethnics, but they are also non-whites, so there is isn't a white preferential selection in trying to put together a functioning (good is another issue) city symphony of "other" "better" musicians. And white season's ticket holders can sit in the audience and admire their own artistry.