Adolfus Hailstork

Chinese Zodiac Suite

The Chinese Zodiac Suite is the culmination of a three-year project to honor the partnership of Old Dominion University with Minzu University of Beijing; a cooperative effort to bridge the cultures of both sides. In his new composition; Hailstork uses Western musical language to depict the 12 animal signs of the zodiac from Eastern folklore. The suite was performed by the Minzu University student orchestra at a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Confucius Institute at Old Dominion University (CIODU) in Beijing. Executive director of the CIODU; Dr. Qiu Jin Hailstork; prefaced the performance with; 'You can hear the sounds of rats scratching behind the walls; cows working hard in the fields; rabbits jumping up and down; a snake slithering through the grass; galloping horses and grazing sheep; a monkey swinging through the trees; the rooster; boss of the barnyard; crowing; the sleeping dog who wakes up and starts barking; and the poor pig; so sad because his life's only purpose is to be someone's dinner!'