Lectures in Musicology: Bess Xintong Liu, Kenyon College

Bess Xintong Liu, visiting assistant professor of music at Kenyon College, will present "Resounding the Korean War (1950–1953): Music, Amateurism, and Feminism in Dalian." This lecture is co-sponsored by The Ohio State University Libraries; the Council of Graduate Students Arts and Culture Committee; and EMIC, the graduate student organization for the study of expressive culture.

Trauma, pride, shame…no single word captures the very diverse experience of the Korean War in East Asia. The wartime music scene informed entwinements of individual and communal memories, of inclusion and exclusion, and of conflicts and reconciliations. The city of Dalian, located in northeastern China and less than two hundred miles from the China–North Korea border, became the most crucial base of the Chinese voluntary army. From 1949 to 1953, the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association (SSFA) of Dalian played a pivotal role in the radicalization of the local soundscape. This paper examines the case study of MA Siju 马思琚 (1920–2014), the renowned Chinese pianist/cellist who served as the Vice President of the School of Music and Dance for Amateurs under SSFA. By examining Ma’s musicianship, leadership and pedagogy, this history suggests an unorthodox version of feminism that concorded with neither the Communist-defined “women’s liberation” nor the concurrently popular prototype of the “modern lady.” Instead, Ma exemplified feminism with a particular sense of pragmatism that strategically combined musicality with sociability. Tracing Ma’s social circle alongside musical texts created during the period, this paper reconsiders the assumed cultural politics behind transnational music-making and offers post-colonial critiques.

Bess Xintong Liu is currently a visiting assistant professor of music at Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio). She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 with a PhD in historical musicology. Her primary research interest lies in musical exchange between China and the West in the twentieth century. Her dissertation, entitled “Resonant China: Transnational Music-making and the Construction of the Public, 1934–1958,” explores music circles that originated in Shanghai but expanded globally. Alongside her commitments as a music historian, she is also a pianist, vocalist, translator, and Chinese chamber music director.

This lecture is free and open to the public. No ticket required.

• A small group of graduate students from any discipline are invited to join Dr. Liu for lunch at the Faculty Club at noon on Jan. 22. If we have more interest than seats available, participants will be chosen at random and notified a week before the event. If you are interested in participating in the lunch, please respond via https://forms.gle/Avk7GnHfUqHJEcC96