Why GLFCAM is my new favorite music laboratory (and sanctuary)
written by Meilina Tsui
Bahlest Eeble Readings Cycle 15 Fellow
It was August 2021 when I received the wonderful news that I’d been accepted into Gabriela’s Academy to participate in the Bahlest Eeble Readings Program. I was so thrilled. It was hard to believe I was finally getting to meet with and receive mentorship from the legendary composer guru, Gabriela Lena Frank. I had been eagerly waiting for this opportunity since 2018, when I came to the US as a foreign student and heard about the GLFCAM for the first time…
Unlike many composer programs that I have participated in, GLFCAM offered a very different experience for me. The normal practice that composers are accustomed to would be to write a piece, attend a rehearsal or two, and maybe make some revisions (if you’re lucky!). At GLFCAM, we were given the opportunity to workshop raw ideas and to discuss the possibilities of each instrument at length with the musicians, before writing the actual piece. This laboratory-like environment pushed me to explore anything my heart desired, and even when there were embarrassing ‘flops’ during the workshops, I never received judgmental comments (or glances) from anybody! I felt so much support coming from Gabriela, who instinctively understood all of my creative intentions and encouraged me to keep experimenting and asking questions.
The piece I wrote for the Bahlest Eeble Readings was nothing like any other piece I had written before, and I really want to thank Gabriela for that. She reassured us from the beginning that we need not be composing with the intention of impressing her since she already loved our music very much. I have done many things before to try to get out of my comfort zone as a composer, and I am proud to say that this time, I had written something without trying to impress anybody but myself.
It is September 2023 now, and I have been reminiscing about my time in Boonville almost every day. It has become nostalgic for me. I still remember the joy of sharing a cozy living space with my fellow composer friends, cooking delicious vegetarian food together, being inspired by each other, and having meaningful and therapeutic conversations. To me, GLFCAM is more than just another composer residency; it represents a shining beacon of light for post-emerging/pre-established composers like me who are still trying to figure things out. When I got involved with GLFCAM, I had just graduated with a DMA in Composition from the University of Michigan and finished a demanding composer fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival. Besides a few commissions, I really had no clue where life was taking me next. As a freelance artist, it is very easy to feel like you’re drifting away in the ocean. Luckily the GLFCAM mentorship program was there for me, and it offered some sort of an anchor, a ‘home-base,’ for quite a while. It was so important. It has been a huge honor to be included into such a unique community of composers and musicians.
Meilina Tsui (b. 1993) is an award-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, radio producer & presenter and advocate for youth artistic development. Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Hong Kong, Meilina writes music that uniquely combines elements of Eurasian and South-East Asian cultures. She is the first Chinese classical composer of Dungan descent (an underrepresented ethnic minority group from Central Asia) to have received international recognition. Her music, described by The Aspen Times as "irresistible, and emotionally convincing," has been performed and read by leading soloists, ensembles and orchestras across Asia, Europe, North America and in the Middle East. Meilina often tries to enrich the abilities of the Western instruments by inventing new compositional techniques and imitating the sounds of traditional Central Asian instruments. Meilina has also been a pioneer in combining Kazakh, Chinese and Western instruments in her music. Recipient of many awards and scholarships Tsui earned her B.A. in Music from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, M.Mus. in Composition from King’s College London, and D.M.A. in Composition from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Profs. Bright Sheng and Michael Daugherty.
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