An Interview With Penny Bauder
You have a body that is important, you have parts of your life that you may think are disconnected to your work, but nurturing yourself, finding ways to listen to what the world needs from you — listen to that. Playing notes well is step zero- it’s about that small pinprick of a moment in time where you can create different possible ways [for the listener] to hear and embrace change. Use your skills as a musician to create a solution for it.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chromic Duo.
Chromic Duo blends classical music, toy piano, and electronics into genre fluid performances and installations. Inspired by the small wonders of the everyday, they compose soundworlds inspired by the multitudes as Third-Culture-Kids discovering their voice within the vast Asian American diaspora. Their work often blurs the lines between film, VR, and AR, but the heart of their work remains constant: to create an intimacy and sense of wonder in their music that unravels the story of self-discovery and passion for connecting the dots between grief and joy, belonging and displacement, and creating community in boundary pushing performances and web based experiences.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Even though we’re both Asian-American, we come from slightly different backgrounds — Lucy is a second generation Asian American who grew up in Michigan, and Dorothy grew up in Hong Kong between the periods where it was a colony as well as after the handover. We both started with playing Classical piano which eventually brought us to New York where we met.
Is there a particular book or organization that made a significant impact on you growing up? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I think it’s actually the lack of presence of fellow Asian-Americans that made an impact. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that there were other people who look like me that did great things!
How do you define “Making A Difference”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I think in order to make a difference, one would first need to find the heart of what you are trying to say, and the common thread that links yourself to another person. Once you find that thread, you can start to make an impact, and you will be able to make a difference because you stand behind, represent, and believe the message you are trying to say. One project that is coming to mind is our Chinatown Mural arts project, which is coming up on September 21st — we are creating an augmented reality walk surrounding the mural arts and music scene in New York Chinatown, and to highlight the cultural heritage there. We believe in creating opportunities for long term solutions and platforms to be made, so to allow independence and awareness in our partners and communities.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today? Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Yes! We are excited to share our project “Emerald Futures” in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program, hosted on the app Gesso (available on iOS and GooglePlay). This program gathers students to explore music composition, and for this season, we worked with them in composing pieces for us, in which we recorded, produced and mapped into a site-specific sound walk starting at Central Park West and ending at Lincoln Center’s “We Belong Here” mural (by artists Amanada Phingbodhipakkiya). Our works are often inspired by the small wonders of the everyday, and we believe in creating a space where curiosity, joy and intimacy can be the common thread between people. This walk reflects, recognizes and celebrates the transition of us entering into a post-pandemic world, while responding to the rise of anti-AAPI hate. The previous year had been hard on the performing arts industry and people who enjoy the arts, with venues and events cancelled, and we hope to merge concert experience and augmented reality together to create a platform where this project can be shared and enjoyed to as many people as possible.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
For us, I think it is the moment when we realize that we aren’t going to grow if we aren’t willing to be vulnerable. There is a sense of vulnerability when you allow circumstance, life etc. to happen, and also whenever you take a step outside of your comfort zone, but it is that vulnerability that makes your cause and your process real, and then growth will happen. It is scary, but things don’t just get done by themselves, so why not?
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Sometimes it does feel like starting something from scratch is like having to build Mount Everest or something. But I think having the deep-breaths and ‘let-us-break-it-down’-s were extremely useful, so that you can focus on the next small tangible step, instead of constantly fearing the many miles to be travelled and having that fear dominate you. It can get overwhelming when there are so many things to say yes to, and one of the first things we wish we did was design backwards from a 2 year plan. At the same time, allow enough room for improvisation and detours. Do not be discouraged when something doesn’t go according to plan! So many things are blessings in disguise, and sometimes terrible and wonderful things happen, but you will make it through that fire. Steps we took but wished we had embraced more fully would be to ask for help, and surround yourself with people who are doing the thing! Pay attention to others that share your cause and their activities — reaching out and talking to them can go a long way because you will have partners, support and accountability along the way.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
Hahaha, great question. We love to fail quickly so that we can create opportunities to learn — so mistakes are actually lessons. Even within the NY Philharmonic VYC project, I remember us having to adapt to the circumstances, and embracing unpredictability of the weather — which all in all made an unforgettable experience for the launch! We made the mistake of not considering the weather as a component earlier, and having a rain date wasn’t possible by the time we realized. Even though it did rain buckets towards the end of the opening event, we do realize the rain did cool down the heat waves from the couple days before, which would also have been pretty brutal to do a 30-min sound walk in blazing heat — it is all about perspective!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I think mentors/cheerleaders are especially important in processes where searching takes such a big role. I can’t count the number of times when we are in doubt when our mentors give us more perspectives and reassurance that we can and are on the right path — and it is right because it is our path. We both worry a lot about all the little things that can go wrong in a project or measuring up to our expectations, or having to plan for worse case scenarios because we really don’t want to mess up, but I remember one time our mentor and dear friend John Bierbusse told us: “dream big, do the thing first, and worry later”. And that was such a liberating moment to hear. To not be paralyze by the what-ifs and actually take a step, and to solve the problems one by one when they present themselves.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
One particular encounter came to mind — when we were working on Emerald Futures, we workshopped the pieces by these young composers one-on-one. It is difficult enough for adults to learn how to be articulate, concise, yet expressive, not to mention these young composers. We try to give them room to express their thoughts, but forming relationships also takes time, so we invite them to write to us when they want to share ideas or thoughts — whenever. In the end, we had a composer write us a really heartfelt email on how this project has helped them see more of what it means to write music and to express oneself through art, and how it truly can touch other people’s lives. It made us so warm and fuzzy reading it!
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Public Policy- A fellow activist and friend, Caitlin Cawley, once told me, “You either have time or money. Which will it be?” Participate in Every. Single. Election. Be a part of the political narrative in your neighborhood.
- Community Building in (non) Concert Spaces- Talk to the person next to you. Be curious about their story with their permission.
- If you are privileged to do so, call out arts organizations who still implement problematic policies. Stand with Juilliard students who are petitioning for tuition freezes. Stand with Met Orch musicians who are getting outsourced and replaced.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of the interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each).
1. I wish someone told me that you don’t need all day to create your work, you just need enough time to create it. Pay your bills. Take care of you, first.
2. Same with this whole work-life balance thing: you can’t help anyone else out with their mask until you put yours on first.
3. You know all of those people who are doing really well and are in those places that you want to be doing the things with the accolades and the prestige? Yeah, they too, are still feeling imposter syndrome. There is no award that will make you feel like there isn’t room to grow. Wanting to grow is beautiful.
4. You better get used to doing a LOT of stuff that isn’t related to playing your instrument, and also- you are more than what you are currently capable of.
5. You have a body that is important, you have parts of your life that you may think are disconnected to your work, but nurturing yourself, finding ways to listen to what the world needs from you — listen to that. Playing notes well is step zero- it’s about that small pinprick of a moment in time where you can create different possible ways [for the listener] to hear and embrace change. Use your skills as a musician to create a solution for it.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Listen, if there is one thing that this year of unfathomable loss has taught me, it’s that the time that we have here is finite. Cherish it. Confront it. If it fails today, rest, and try again tomorrow, but the worst thing you can do is to believe that you aren’t able to make an impact. Don’t give up your power when it comes together in a community. If the world is leaning on your shoulders, lean into it and channel it to be a source of energy which propels you to do the next thing. Give until you can’t. The world will open for you, at some point, when you start searching for ways in. Make yourself understood.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Oh my god, hands down Ashley C. Ford. Her work bursts to life even through the flames, and I have to thank her for putting so beautifully into words what it means to be there for one another. And the Kelley brothers, whose human centered design thinking processes have shaped and inspired our vision .
How can our readers follow you online?
We can be found at @chromic_duo on Instagram and you can get our latest updates via our newsletter through https://chromic.space!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Change Makers: Why and How Music Stars Chromic Duo Are Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.