Tracing Cultural Legacies and Traditional Sensibilities in the “Futuristic Folk Music” of Chinary Ung

Abstract

          The process of navigating deeply held cultural values when composing a new piece can be transformative. Over the past several decades, Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung has created a diverse array of cross-cultural works, and he continues to expand and deepen his international role as a leading Asian composer and educator. In this paper, I discuss Ung’s approach to composing, which enables him to be inspired by Cambodian traditional music and culture while continuing to practice Western composition. I also examine what Ung calls his “futuristic folk music”—new sounds sourced in the architecture, philosophy, and traditional music of Cambodia. In closing, I will discuss how the concept of “futuristic folk music” can be deployed to encourage composers and musicians of any culture to engage actively in a creative process that incorporates their living traditions, cultures, and art forms.