I’m sitting here writing an article about the composer Melissa Hui. I’m engulfed in Hui, drowning in Hui, can’t see the forest for the Hui’s, and I finally say to myself, “Gann, look: you need a new composer-of-the-month for Postclassic Radio anyway. Why not Hui?” Why not indeed. So if you ever wonder how executive decisions get made here at Postclassic Radio, that’s pretty much the gist of it. The most recurring word in Melissa Hui’s titles is “still,” and there’s a real stillness to her music, even when it’s fast or bumptious, that’s quite lovely. Beautiful stuff. And she’s only 38! And she gets all these great commissions and performances. Because she’s Canadian. Dammit, I wish I was Canadian. If I were Canadian, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing articles about other composers, because I’d be too busy attending rehearsals of my chamber orchestra pieces, and giving interviews in French to Québécois radio.

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