Migration Music
Our ongoing interview series about the impact of immigration
Metropolis presents Migration Music, our ongoing interview series hosted by pianist Han Chen. Each episode features conversations with immigrant composers and performances of their works.
Explore the Series
About the Project
Pianist Han Chen began Migration Music in 2020 while he was reflecting on his experiences immigrating to the United States to study at The Juilliard School. While immigration has long been a hot-button political issue in the country, the conversation around it has been especially heightened and relevant to our changing world since 2020.
Through the isolation from the pandemic, we developed this series as a way to find new means of connecting with others. You’re invited to bring your curiosity to each discussion and learn how artists who had left their homes feel about their experiences, and how their backgrounds shape the music they make today. Many installments center around the journey of self discovery and how those discoveries color the music we hear.
Each episode presents an interview with a composer alongside a performance of their work by Han Chen, with an opening sequence of music by composer Clarice Assad.
Go behind-the-scenes with Han Chen talking to Julia Kuhlman about the Migration Music series.
About the Host
Han Chen is a distinctive artist whose credentials at a young age already include important prizes in competitions of traditional music as well as increasing respect in the avant-garde. Han is hailed by the New York Times as a pianist with “a graceful touch... rhythmic precision... hypnotic charm” and “sure, subtle touch.”
In addition to Migration Music, Han Chen has collaborated with Metropolis on Biophony, House Music, In Visible Roads, among others.