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Text for the first piece, by Daixuan Ai:

We wish to acknowledge and honor the indigenous communities native to this region and recognize that Indiana University Bloomington is built on indigenous homelands and resources. We recognize the Miami, Lenape, Bod and Sauana people as past, present, and future cats of this land. For the next few minutes, I will guide you through a meditation and improvisation to center our attention and bring our awareness to the here and now to the space we're in to the music we're sharing together. Before we venture into the rest of this program, the meditation will start after the bell sound. Find a comfortable position to sit in, make sure your back is straight, but not tense, and that you feel relaxed and alert. Now, slowly close your eyes. We're going to begin with a breathing exercise. Breathe in with a count of four, breathe out with a count of eight. I two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, I two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. In two, three, four, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, Now, let your breath return to its natural rhythm. Notice how the cycle of your breath is like the ocean tide. It comes and goes, and no two breaths are the same. Your breath and mind like the ocean are constantly in a state of change. Just like the land we are living on, which has witnessed countless cycles of day tonight, spring to winter, birth to death. Compared to the history of the land we currently stand on, the countless stories of people who have lived many years before us and who will live many years after us. Our life is a speck of sand on the seashore of time of this universe. Yet, each of us is indispensable and replaceable because of our connections to each other. The web of connections we share with countless lives before us, after us, or concurrent with us is beautifully illuminating like the dark night sky. To visualize this, I now invite you to open your eyes momentarily and take out the instrument you picked up earlier. If you have a Columba improvised by plucking the metal pieces. Make sure to let go of the metal piece and let it fly after plucking. If you have a prayer bowl, put the bowl on the cushion, gently strike the side of the bowl with a wooden stick and let it ring fly before striking again. I will lead you through some contemplations during the improvisation. But please feel free to keep playing your instrument as I speak or take breaks as you need to. You may begin your improvisation if you haven't already. As you are playing, think about a person who is no longer with you. Yet who has made a significant impact in your life. What was your connection to them? Now, think about a person whose life will continue after yours. How old are they now? Think about someone who is close to you, someone you love. Send that person the most beautiful energy from your heart center. Wish them happiness and health. Now think of someone you have met perhaps just once. Someone you don't really know. Send that person the most beautiful energy from your heart center. Wish them happiness and health. Now, think of someone whose presence in your life is tense or troubling. Someone you may not like. Send that person the most beautiful energy from your heart center. Wish them happiness and health. Now, open your eyes. Turn your body towards a neighbor, greet them with a smile. You may know each other, or you may be total strangers. Either way, can you find one thing you have in common with them? Try communicating with them using your instrument. Human connection is not restricted by what language we speak, what culture we come from, what we look like, what we believe. We are all just a single star in a boundary less sky. One tiny speck of sand on the seashore. But we are never isolated, never alone. Acknowledge your neighbor and silently say, I wish you happiness and health. Oh. Okay. Take about a minute to slowly fade out your Columba or prayer bowl improvisation. And once you're finished, close your eyes and hum with the drone. You can pause the humming and breathe whenever you need to. Slowly let go of the humming and open your eyes when you feel ready to do so. Thank you for joining us for this brief meditation and improvisation. Please gently return your instruments to the boxes that are being carried by our generous helpers or hold onto them and return during intermission. We hope the clarity and presentness you have cultivated in the last few minutes will help you experience the rest of this concert in a more mindful way. Remember that we are all just humans whose existence on this Earth is so brief. But the connection we share with each other makes our lives meaningful. I hope today's concert will also be one of those meaningful encounters. No need to app, simply feel gratitude for the contemplation of this meditation and improvisation together. We will now transition into the next performance.

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Description of the video:

There is no transcription for this concert.