Elegy
(2026) | 6 minutes
Commissioned by the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, in partnership with Classics Northwest, El Paso Pro Musica, Fairbanks Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Mesa Arts Center, Sitka Festival, South Carolina Philharmonic, and Spokane Symphony
SCORING cello solo, piano & string quartet
ALSO AVAILABLE
– cello and strings
– cello & piano (coming soon)
PREMIERE 8 August 2026 by Zuill Bailey, cello, with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra conducted by Eckart Preu
PURCHASE MUSIC
Unavailable: This work is subject to exclusivity by the commissioning consortium until 2028/29.
Listen
TBA
Program note
Elegy offers a moment of remembrance—honoring those whose sacrifices, struggles, and hopes have shaped the nation across generations. The solo cello serves as a solitary voice, singing over luminous string textures in a meditation on resilience, compassion, and the enduring pursuit of unity.
Elegy is part of Visions of Humanity and Unity, a multi-composer project commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I hope my own perspective—shaped by cross-cultural experiences, a love of the cello and of lyricism, and a belief in music as shared storytelling—adds another distinct layer to this collective portrait.
©Zhou Tian
Visions of Humanity and Unity, featuring works by Mark O’Connor, Avner Dorman, Zhou Tian, Enrico Chapela, and Chanda Dancy, was commissioned by the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, in partnership with Classics Northwest, El Paso Pro Musica, Fairbanks Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Mesa Arts Center, Sitka Festival, South Carolina Philharmonic, and Spokane Symphony.
Reviews
“The heart of this concerto was Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian’s captivating ‘Elegy,’ scored only for strings and harp. Zhou told the Courier that he aimed to honor ‘those whose sacrifices, struggles and hopes have shaped the nation across generations.’ His ‘Elegy’ was meditative and deeply lyrical. The listener could savor the emotion of [Zuill] Bailey’s phrasing and the beauty of tone that he summoned on his 1693 Matteo Goffriller cello over luminous string textures. Bailey ended the piece with his eyes uplifted, as if in a dream.”
—Cincinnati Business Courier
“So engaging were the melodies, so compelling the rhythms, so polished and inventive the composition, and so vital and committed the performance.”
—Spokesman Review
“’Visions of Humanity and Unity’ stands as a great accomplishment, a substantial work of art from which audiences of every size and kind will derive delight and inspiration. It deserves inclusion in the repertoire of both orchestras and chamber ensembles long after this anniversary year has passed.”
—Spokesman Review
For Cello
- Cello Concerto “Flowing Sleeves”
- Elegy (cello & strings)
- Flowing Sleeves (cello, piano & string quartet)
- Cadence (cello quartet)
- Rhyme (solo cello)
- Ye (two cellos & piano)
- Piano Trio
- Viaje (flute, cello & piano)
- Hidden Grace (flute, cello & harp)
- A Crown for Sonia (voice, cello & piano)
- Tunes from China I (collection of Chinese folk music)