Program notes

Kevin Lau (b. 1982) is one of Canada’s most prolific and sought-after composers. He has been Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and written two ballets for the National Ballet of Canada, alongside commissions for song cycles, chamber works and in 2023 our very own brand new work at Equinox Festival.

Beyond the Ten Thousand Things was inspired by the Tao Te Ching, a foundational work of Chinese philosophy by the semi-mythical figure Lao Tzu. In Kevin’s own words, the piece is “a chronicle of my own attempts at understanding Lao Tzu’s profound but elusive insights. Each of the six movements is based on a particular verse from the Tao Te Ching. These verses encompass everything [...] from metaphysics to political satire to linguistic games in the vein of a court jester. Likewise, I have tried to create a piece full of stylistic diversity, drawing from multiple traditions, but always oriented toward an intuitive if mystical ideal.”

Photos by Caroline Bittencourt