Elegy (cello & stringsA)

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 & strings*
*includes harp, which can be omitted if needed

ALSO AVAILABLE
– cello, piano & string quartet
– cello & piano (coming soon)

PREMIERE 8 August 2026 by Zuill Bailey, cello, with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra conducted by Eckart Preu

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This work is subject to exclusivity by the commissioning consortium until 2028/29.

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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, Enrico Chapela, Zhou Tian, 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 evening’s centerpiece was a remarkable new concerto in five movements for cello and orchestra titled ‘Visions of Humanity and Unity.’ The unusual project was commissioned by a consortium of nine orchestras and festivals…

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

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