A 10-year-old student from China, Liu Yiran, has won the Platinum Award at the 2025 Trinity International Music Competition, an international event that attracts young musicians from around the world.
Liu received the award in the composition category, where she was the youngest participant this year and the only competitor from China to receive the top honor.
At age 9, Liu was accepted into the pre-college composition programs of several leading U.S. music institutions, including the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music and the New England Conservatory. She is currently a fifth-grade student at Beijing Haijia International School and studies composition in the pre-college program at Tianjin Juilliard School, where she is taught by composer Dr. Shen Yiwen.
"The Wind" This piece is structured in four movements—Whispering Breeze, Tempestuous Onslaught, Dance of the Wind, and Fading Gale—weaving a poignant elegy for life centered on themes of destruction and sorrow.
As night deepens, the wind stirs quietly, eventually surging into a ferocious tempest that sweeps through the town. Trees snap, roof tiles tear away, and living creatures are swept up in the gale’s relentless grasp. By dawn, the once-thriving, bustling human settlement lies in utter ruins.
When the first light of day breaks, a deathly silence blankets the earth. The sole survivor wipes the blood from her wounds and expresses her profound grief through a dance performed upon the desolate landscape—her loved ones gone, her home reduced to rubble, leaving her utterly alone. As the dance draws to a close, she collapses weakly to the ground, pressing her forehead against the cold soil. She fades into stillness along with the dying wind, and the piece concludes at this solemn moment.
In terms of timbral expression, the work embodies a subtle yet brilliant cultural dialogue. The composer uses the flute as a medium to innovatively capture the unique essence of the xiao, a traditional Chinese woodwind instrument. Infusing the ethereal pathos inherent in Eastern instruments into the expressive framework of Western instrumental music, the flute’s metallic clarity merges seamlessly with the xiao’s mellow, bamboo-toned resonance. This fusion retains the transparency of Western instrumentation while replicating the plaintive, storytelling charm of Eastern music, allowing its poignant beauty to resonate deeply within the listener’s heart. It stands as a perfect testament to the collision and integration of Eastern and Western art forms, imbuing this elegy with profound, cross-cultural emotional depth.
The Trinity International Music Competition is known for its international jury and broad participation, drawing students from Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The competition includes multiple categories and age groups, ranging from early childhood divisions to professional levels.
Organizers said the Platinum Award recognizes outstanding artistic achievement. As part of the award, Liu will have opportunities to showcase her original compositions on major digital music platforms.
Liu’s achievement has drawn attention to the growing presence of young Chinese musicians on the international stage.
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