The Seattle Symphony’s Music Director Xian Zhang recently launched a series entitled Xian Conducts, and the next event in this series focuses on composer Qigang Chen’s work Iris Dévoilée (Iris Unveiled). The piece is a blend of Chinese and Western sound, with an emphasis on Chinese musical instruments, while telling the story of Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
Iris Unveiled was composed in 2001, and in 2015, Zhang conducted its London premiere. “Qigang Chen’s sound world immediately drew me in, the way he blends traditional Chinese colors with French-influenced orchestral writing and creates an intriguing sound world of unexpected colors and textures,” Zhang said in an interview with the International Examiner. “When I had the opportunity to introduce the work at the BBC Proms, it felt like the perfect platform, with an audience curious about global musical languages and willing to immerse themselves in something dreamlike and unconventional.”
Now, Iris Unveiled will have its Seattle premiere, with performances from February 12 to 15 at Benaroya Hall. “Choosing Iris Dévoilée for the Seattle Symphony felt very natural,” Zhang said. She added that Seattle’s musicians are alert, flexible, and open-minded, qualities she deems essential for a work that weaves Chinese instruments, Western orchestra, and operatic voices into a single tapestry.
Zhang chose to conduct Iris Unveiled personally because the fusion of East and West in Chen’s piece reflects her own artistic identity. “Each time I return to Seattle, I feel how willing both the musicians and the audience are to discover new sound worlds, and that made me confident this piece would be a great fit,” she said. “As an Asian American conductor, bringing this work to Seattle, a community whose Asian cultural scene I’m still discovering and appreciating, feels meaningful on both musical and personal levels.”
During the performance, the Seattle Symphony plans to feature Yang Jin on pipa, Cathy Yang on erhu, and Lucina Yue on zheng. “The pipa, erhu, and zheng are central to creating the cultural atmosphere of Iris Dévoilée, so I wanted musicians who not only mastered these instruments technically but could bring authenticity and artistry to Qigang Chen’s sound world,” Zhang explained. She considers Jin, Yang, and Yue to be exceptional interpreters of their respective instruments.
In particular, Zhang advises listeners to pay attention to how these traditional Chinese timbres interact with Western orchestral textures. “The contrast between pipa, erhu, and zheng on one side and the full symphonic palette on the other creates a dialogue that is cultural, musical, and emotional,” Zhang said. “Qigang Chen uses these elements to create a soundscape that is hypnotic and dreamlike, almost like drifting into clouds.”
Accompanying the orchestra will be vocalist Meng Meng, who will wear a Peking opera headpiece along with the traditional makeup of the genre. “Vocally, the mixture of Peking opera-inflected singing from Meng Meng and the Western-style soprano lines provides an expression of feminine identity from multiple cultural angles,” Zhang described. “I haven’t seen anybody else who’s capable of doing the role so well, at such a convincing level, as Meng Meng.” Zhang suggests that the audience will find the performance striking both aurally and visually.
A pre-concert talk will be presented one hour prior to each performance. During each talk, Jérémy Jolley, Seattle Symphony’s Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement, will interview Shuang-Chiu Wang, Vice President of Hwa Sheng Chinese Opera Club. Meanwhile, in the lobby, the Symphony will display various related costumes, and there will be pre-concert performances by the Seattle Chinese Orchestra featuring a small ensemble of traditional instruments.
Beyond Seattle Symphony, Zhang is balancing her yearly schedule with a new appointment. On September 25, 2025, she was named Principal Guest Conductor of the China NCPA Orchestra. “I started working with the NCPA when it was first built in 2009,” Zhang said. “This appointment is deeply meaningful to me.” She’ll work with NCPA Orchestra on two weeks of programming each year.
That limited assignment will broaden Zhang’s exposure to music while also allowing her to remain heavily focused on Seattle Symphony audiences, leading ten weeks of concerts during the current season. Next season, she’ll be directing even more performances in Seattle. “I look forward in building and growing something special with the Seattle Symphony,” she affirmed.
Xian Conducts Iris Unveiled runs from February 12 to 15 at Benaroya Hall, 200 University Street, Seattle. More information and tickets here.
