Written by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang, The Rift is a chamber opera recounting the creation of architect Maya Lin’s iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The controversial origin of the Vietnam Veterans is at the heart of this story featuring interconnected yet conflicting characters: Maya Lin, the Chinese American student architect of the memorial’s design; a Vietnam War veteran; a Vietnamese refugee; and a government official. The title reflects both the divisions surrounding the Vietnam War and Lin’s own vision of the memorial as a deliberate opening in the earth.

Premiered in 2019, Men of Iron and the Golden Spike by composer Zhou Long and librettist Su Wei is a nine-movement symphonic oratorio honoring the Chinese railroad workers whose labor made the first U.S. transcontinental railroad possible despite enduring racism, dangerous conditions, and historical erasure. Commissioned for the 150th anniversary of the railroad’s completion, the work draws on Cantonese folk songs, labor chants, and Western orchestral traditions to commemorate the workers’ sacrifices and resilience. Through the stories of brothers Ah Kun and Ah Lun, the compassionate Mary, and the larger chorus of railroad workers, the oratorio depicts themes of hardship, homesickness, heroism, loss, and remembrance. Musical motifs such as the “Coolie Work Chant” and “Moonlight Shines” unify the work, blending Chinese and Western musical traditions while underscoring the emotional narrative. Concluding with a tribute to the workers’ enduring legacy, the oratorio restores recognition to a community whose contributions were long overlooked in American history.