Blending piano, electronic soundscapes, and immersive visuals, imUnsure presents newly commissioned works that explore imposed identities (U) versus the inner self (i). The concert stage is transformed into a space for reflection, resistance, and storytelling through themes of cultural displacement, intergenerational trauma, and the search for authentic self-expression amid societal expectations. MSM Student Projects are selected by a panel of MSM Faculty and Staff.
Jixue Yang is a pianist and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) candidate at Manhattan School of Music. Her work explores the intersection of classical and contemporary music, integrating extended techniques, electroacoustic elements, and multimedia. She has received recognition such as the Gold Award at the Singapore International Music Competition and has participated in festivals including Nief-Norf, Cortona Sessions, and Sinuston Festival.
As a founding member of the electroacoustic trio Apply Triangle, Yang released the triple album Oxalis Triangularis, featuring 33 commissioned works for piano and electronics by composers from across the globe. Supported by Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward grant, the project showcases her commitment to redefining the piano as a medium of sonic experimentation and collaborative authorship. Through performance, curation, and recording, she seeks to reposition the piano as a dynamic site for resistance, agency, and shared narrative.
Through her performances and research, she remains committed to learning, collaborating, and amplifying underrepresented voices in contemporary music.
Jixue Yang (BM ’18, MM ’20, DMA Candidate), Artistic Director, Producer, and Pianist Lulu Yueyi Wang and Tian Qin, Visual Artists
TIAN QIN (BM ’22) *GG Prelude YA-LAN CHAN (MM ’16, DMA ’23) *Kintsugi HUIJUAN LING *A Darkness Ever So Soft ANRUO CHENG Reflections (with thanks to Eunmi Ko and the MUTED Project) III. My Dear Absent Voice CHUJUN LI (MM ’20) *Forgotten Maria JEE WON KIM (MM ’20) *막 / 幕 / veil I. Am I myself II. or just a shadow? *World Premiere
Jixue: Conceived and produced over the past two years, imUnsure is a multimedia piano+ performance curated and performed by pianist Jixue Yang. Blending acoustic sounds, electronic soundscapes, and immersive visuals, the program features six newly commissioned works by diasporic East Asian women composers and artists. It explores the tension between imposed identities (U) and the inner self (i), addressing themes of cultural displacement, intergenerational trauma, and the search for authentic self-expression amid societal expectations. In this way, the concert stage becomes a space for reflection, resistance, and storytelling.
Jixue: The project was born during a time of collapse, when I felt the weight of exclusion and silencing in my artistic life. I realized that as an East Asian woman in performing arts, I confront a persistent contradiction: access to resources does not guarantee creative freedom. Too often, implicit biases continue to shape how my existence is received, and questions like, “Why can’t you do better when you have all the opportunities now?” ignore the cultural expectations and structural limitations that still constrain artistic expression. At the core of this work lies the paradox of being hypervisible as a diversity statistic, yet muted as a creative voice. imUnsure is a reclamation of space for those of us silenced by institutional gaslighting. It confronts conflicts such as: Must I scream to be heard? Who decides what freedom looks like? Why are some expressions called “too political” only when they come from certain bodies? When I speak differently, must my voice be filtered? When you don’t understand me, do you just ignore? Does “being nice” become a flaw only when it comes to women from the Sinosphere?
Jixue: The program brings together six newly commissioned works by East Asian women composers, some paired with original visuals. Each piece has its own sonic and emotional language, yet all share a drive to move beyond the traditional piano recital. The music incorporates extended piano techniques, electronics, field recordings, and site-specific installations, with elements such as chanting, distorted voices, hanji paper screens, and a handmade cotton piano cover. In addition to playing, I also take on spoken text and theatrical movement, weaving these elements directly into the structure of the works so that the piano interacts dynamically with sound, space, movement, and image. What makes this program especially powerful to me is how personal each work feels: some revisit childhood memories of being called a “good girl,” others confront fractured family relationships or explore the beauty of repair through kintsugi. Still others meditate on the fear of being misunderstood, or on the struggle to make one’s voice heard as an Asian woman in a Western context. Collectively, these works form a multilayered soundscape that speaks of freedom, belonging, identity, and survival, while also highlighting recovery, resistance, and resilience.
Jixue: I hope the audience leaves with a deeper awareness of the cultural complexities and silent struggles faced by East Asian women in the arts. More than a performance, imUnsure seeks to open a space where vulnerability becomes agency, and where audiences can reflect on how identity and belonging are constructed and contested. By witnessing these stories, I hope listeners feel both challenged and inspired to engage in more inclusive and empathetic ways of community-building: whose voice is missing in my rooms?
Jixue: I would ask Sofia Gubaidulina how she kept her faith in her voice when every structure around her tried to silence it. Her courage and spiritual strength are qualities I deeply admire and hope to carry into my own work.
Jixue: Following the premiere at MSM, imUnsure will travel to Houston, Indiana State University, and then return to New York City at THE BLANC Gallery in December, with expanded vision. I truly hope to continue bringing this project further, growing it into a lasting performance series. I’m also looking forward to ongoing collaborations with my electroacoustic trio Apply Triangle, as we prepare for upcoming performances at the DiMenna Center and beyond. These opportunities allow me to keep building connections between communities, expanding the piano’s expressive possibilities, and creating more platforms for underrepresented voices.
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