Above: Artist Portrait by Jordon Hon provided by Jyn-Ting Ying
Jyn-Ting Ying is heading home to Edmonton tomorrow, and held a composition workshop at the historic Church in Markerville on August 2, 2024. This was rounding out a week spent in the Buttermaker’s House, part of the Artist Residency program, focusing on a first album release they have scheduled for the fall.
Inspiration for this music project has come from “Unearthings” by Wendy Chen, a poetry collection that’s “unafraid to confront the complexities of cultural, ancestral, and familial inheritance…[e]xploring her identity as an Asian American woman.” This is a personal topic dear to Jyn-Ting. They spent the week in our quiet hamlet working on one of the last songs for the album; even recording the sounds of the Buttermaker’s House, some of which will be incorporated into the music.
Jyn-Ting played some music live on piano that will be on the album, and also played partial recordings of the more complex pieces that have multiple instruments and vocals that couldn’t be performed during a one-person presentation.
The workshop portion of the presentation delved into examples of the role musical composition can play in affective experience; the important part it can play in conveying how an audience should feel.
This was an entertaining and thoughtful afternoon well spent!
About the Artist: Besides working on the album project, Jyn-Ting has also done sound and songs interpreting other people’s projects: movie soundtrack work, music for game apps, and a composition for a photography gallery display. They are also part of an improv group that will be performing at the Edmonton Fringe this summer.
Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).