I was captivated by Grawemeyer Award winner Lei Liang’s “A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams” when Gil Rose of the Boston Modern Orchestra  Project performed it at Carnegie Hall. Again in Ojai, California, Lei Liang caught my attention with “Vis-a-Vis,” a lively dialogue between Wu Man on pipa and Steven Schick on a variety of percussive instruments. The musicians at first feel each other out; excitement grows as they challenge each other and end up as friends. Who made this music? I drove to San Diego to chat with the composer: a remarkable man, modest and searching.  


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Susan Hall is an award-winning feature and documentary film writer and producer who failed as a pianist studying with Adele Marcus. She has published books on race in Alabama, an MLB baseball team, the...