Pianist Ning Yu’s work centers on new and experimental music. Through an exploratory and collaborative practice that integrates extended techniques, mechanical modification, technology, and interdisciplinary performance, she expands the expressive and performative boundaries of the piano. Ning has premiered over two hundred new works and collaborated closely with artists including Brigitta Muntendorf, Michael Beil, Mark Reigelman II, David Bird, Alec Hall, and Heather Stebbins. She was a longtime member of the acclaimed piano-percussion quartet Yarn/Wire, contributing to more than twenty recordings and numerous international premieres. She is Associate Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at The George Washington University.

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Video Premiere of IRON ORCHID on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN

Kaleidoscopic images of a pianist’s hands are interspersed with exaggerated shots of empty interiors. A flower emerges from a milky substance; another is submerged in violet water, its petals fleshy and viscous. The music moves from expansive to pointed; piano and electronics blend and contrast, creating satisfying articulations and sandpapery tension.

Thanks to the collaborative approach of pianist Ning Yu and composer David Bird, their music video for Iron Orchid embodies an organic seamlessness between sound, sound-producing tools, and visuals that is startlingly effective. This is a musical narrative that irritates as it mesmerizes, less balanced than enhanced and complementary, keeping the listener locked in to what could possibly come next. Read More…