Chromic Duo & Madeline Hocking
Piano, Toy Piano, Electronics & Violin
The 2022 Grand Prize winners at the Concert Artists Guild (CAG) and Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) Victor Elmaleh Competition, Chromic Duo–artists Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan–blends classical music, toy piano, and electronics into genre-fluid performances and installations. Inspired by the small wonders of the everyday, they compose sound worlds inspired by the multitudes as Third-Culture Kids discovering their voices within the vast Asian-American diaspora.
The Duo’s work is intended to look at the smallest objects of the everyday in order to uncover truths and reimagine how we connect with each other. It often blurs the lines between film, virtual reality, and augmented reality, but the heart of the ensemble’s work remains constant: to create an intimacy and sense of wonder in its music that unravels the story of self-discovery and passion, connecting the dots between grief and joy, belonging and displacement, and creating community in boundary-pushing performances and web-based experiences.
Recent highlights include a sold-out performance on the New York Philharmonic’s Kravis Nightcap Series; partnering with Welcome to Chinatown to feature AAPI businessowners and artists in an immersive soundwalk in New York City’s Chinatown; working with the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program to create a sound walk through Central Park; and partnering with the Smithsonian Institute as part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s 100th Anniversary celebration.
Over two seasons, the Duo acted as Innovators-in-Residence at Purdue University and collaborated with the Purdue team to develop and launch the Stair WELL project, an interactive sculpture installation that explored the intersection of art, tech, and wellness. Recent seasons have featured a residency at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, a debut performance for the Celebrity Series in Boston, and a collaboration with Vision Duo for “Musicians on the Rise,” a co-presentation between CAG and Kaufman Music Center in Merkin Hall.
Hailing from Qathet, Canada, Madeline Hocking is a violinist, violist, composer, and artistic director committed to giving contemporary music the attention and passion it deserves. Her work centers on deeply collaborative and experimental approaches to creation - through chamber music, working with composers on world premieres of repertoire, and interdisciplinary performances that intertwine new music with visual art and dance. Madeline is a member of NYC based contemporary ensembles including Sixth Degree, Composer Performer (COPE) Collective, Infrasound, and New Chamber Ballet, and she co-hosts an interactive concert series with Trevor New as a performer and administrator at En.J.Inn Arts. Recent roles have also included co-founding and co-artistic directing the award-winning collective ‘Noise Catalogue’, and playing as a member of Semiosis Quartet in Boston. As a soloist, Madeline has appeared with ensembles including American Composers Orchestra, San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, Vancouver Philharmonic, Strathcona Symphony Orchestra, and Comox Music Centre Orchestra, as well as at IRCAM Forum and on the New York Philharmonic’s Nightcap series. Madeline has premiered countless new works for solo and chamber music at venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, the Banff Centre, and music festivals across North America and Europe. As a composer, her works have been performed at venues across the US, Canada, and Hungary. Madeline received her Bachelor's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Master's degree in contemporary violin from Manhattan School of Music.
