A Spark from the Peacefulness: Rongrong Ma interviewed by Sabrina Mo

                                                    

Rongrong Ma moved to Vancouver with her family when she was 9. She is a electroacoustic music composer who is currently pursuing her undergrad degree in Simon Fraser University as a music student. She admired the philosophy of Zen which inspired her so focus on soundscape music which could create a dimension that is full of calmness. Audience would be able to escape from stress and crowd while listening to her soundscape music.

SM: Hi, Rongrong! Would you like to tell us about your background?

RM: I came to Vancouver with my family when I was 9. I developed an optimistic and positive characters by growing up in a joyful family with three kids. Unlike most of the typical Asian parents, my parents did not persuade me to become a doctor or a lawyer. In fact, they are being

supportive while I express my interest towards music. It shaped who I am.

SM: Wow, you must have a good relationship with your parents! I wondered what is the first instrument you learnt that brought up your interest in music ?

RM: I started to learn piano when I was in kindergarten back in China. I treated it seriously after

I moved to Vancouver. I started to take piano exams from Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM)

up to level 8. I decided to terminate the pathway for my RCM exam because I found that music

should be about enjoyment and interest instead of just taking exams and focusing on technical

skills. Now, I would still play the piano for fun and while I am working on my composition.

SM: How would this experience influence you to become a composer?

RM: Well, learning the piano helps develop a strong foundation for me to study in music composition. Since it consists of lots of concept and theory, it assisted my learning and extend the view of different styles of music.

SM: Interesting! As you have a conservatory background for classical music training, it brought up my curiosity of the reason for you to decide to pursue electroacoustic music. Could you share with us?

RM: I was a big fan of electronic dance music (EDM) a few years ago. It was a turning point for me to start to browse around electronic music. It made me decide to go to electroacoustic stream instead of composition. Moreover, I believe electronic music is the new trend at the

moment. It would be fascinating to learn new music elements and technology.

SM: That is true. I wondered, besides music, do you make other kinds of art?

RM: Yes! Other than music, I was a florist and a nail artist. Growing up from a traditional Asian family, ‘certificate’ is very important as the backup plan for my career growth. Therefore, I took a few semesters off to explore more possibilities. I was doing flower arrangement as part of the business with one of my family member and I was studied in Blanche Macdonald Centre for nail art. However, after all these experiences, I found that music is where I truly belong to. I decided going back to SFU to continue my undergrad program in electroacoustic music.

                                           

                            

SM: I'm glad that finally you found your own pathway. Did you find any difficulties when studying electroacoustic music? 

RM: The music that we learn and we compose from the SFU is quite out of the frame. Most of my friends could not understand and did not appreciate my music works. However, I would not treat it as failure.

‘Beauty is the eye of the beholder.’

The beauty of art is very subjective. I would not try to convince the audience to be keen on my

music. I believe as long as I enjoy the process of composing music. It is already a successful

piece of work.

SM: Can you tell me more about the style of your pieces?

RM: I love to compose soundscape music. Living in an urban city with such a crowd and busy has created enough stress for me. I love to travel during the vacation, and my favorite city is Kyoto. I love the traditional architecture and the culture and also the atmosphere from the place. I discovered the philosophy of Zen while I visited Japan. I found it is extremely settled for me. It inspired me to become a soundscape music composer. I hope to bring my audience to such a calm and stable environment with the sound I created. Drag them out from the crowd and stressed, so that they could enjoy a moment from the peacefulness.

SM: I agree. Do you have any dream projects in the future?

RM: Installation. As I mentioned before, aside from being a composer, I am also a florist. I want to create an installation of my soundscape music with flower arrangement. I saw there were so many interesting installation work from SFU. I think it would be a meaningful project for

me while combining the knowledge I learnt from the school and the experience I had from my flower arrangement business.

SM: I am looking forward to your new pieces. Thank you!