Forgotten Songs of Ancient Chinese Poems

The Musicultural Concert Series Presents: The Forgotten Songs of Ancient Chinese Poetry with Spring Cheng, Accompanied by Allijah Motika

Spring Cheng Bio

Spring Cheng is a singer-songwriter that rebirths ancient Chinese poetry-songs as a medicine to heal ancestral and collective trauma. She is a native Chinese woman living in the Pacific Northwest and is devoted to supporting individuals and groups around the world to embody a culture that prioritizes healing, regeneration, and compassion. Her work also interweaves the I Ching—one of the oldest books in human history—with her own perspectives, which inform her musical creations.

Cheng combines the Tao with science, healing, and art, creating a form of music called “Earth Song” that is designed to foster a sense of wholeness, resonance, and synchronicity among its singers and listeners. About this she states, “Earth Song is my voice. It is also not just my voice. I am here with my feminine lineage behind me…Chinese women are wakening to that voice that yearns to sing in their hearts. I have the privilege to be a mentor to many of them and work alongside them. I am proud to be one of them.”

Cheng started her musical training later in life at age 41. Her teacher Kaija trained Cheng primarily through an organic process emphasizing improvisation and deep listening. Her life-long practice of qigong, Tai Chi, and Taoist healing helps maintain vitality and flexibility in both physical and mental realms. It prepared her with the resources and adaptability to embark on her musical journey as she entered the second half of her life. Cheng is grateful for the wisdom of Taoist heritage that teaches people the art of graceful aging.

Cheng’s music and singing are featured in Ward Serrill’s documentary film Dancing with the Dead: Red Pine and the Art of Translation. The movie documents Red Pine’s decades of work as a well-known translator of ancient Chinese poetry and spiritual sutra. As a local resident of Bellingham, you may also hear Cheng’s poetry-songs featured in various venues across town and in the broader Pacific Northwest region.

Allijah Motika

Allijah Motika is a singer-songwriter, percussionist, pianist, and guitarist from Asheville, NC. He has lived in Bellingham since Fall 2019 and has enjoyed integrating into the local music scene. Motika has a degree in Popular Music Performance from Catawba College and has performed in a variety of contexts. Some highlights include opening for the Avett Brothers, drumming for George Clinton and Danny Bedrosian of Parliament Funkadelic, performing with the opera chorus of Eric Whitacre's Paradise Lost, and singing in the accompanying gospel choir for American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez at the Democratic National Convention.

Motika first met Cheng at a local music event, where their musical synergy could not be ignored. Outisde of his accompanying and collaboration for performances such as this, he is also engaged with Cheng in a vocal improvisation ensemble that is hosted here in Bellingham.