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From Classic to Improvisation
I was born in Taiwan on Feb. 27, 1974. I received my Master’s degree in pipa performance in the Chinese instruments department at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. I am a pipa soloist, and have performed solo recitals, concertos, multimedia-performances, improvisation performances, as well as master classes, lectures and workshops in Asia (Taiwan, Beijing, Singapor), and also in Europe, the United States, and South America.
I chose to learn the pipa, because it is very suitable to do sound experimentations. I also play the ruan as my minor instrument. I compose my own music and most of the time I like to improvise. I started with classical Chinese music, then got the opportunity to cooperate with musicians from all over the world. I was introduced to different kinds of music, such as world and electronic. I also could observe different ways of composing and playing. This influenced me and I started to compose and improvise my own music, which seemed like a more direct way of expressing my feelings. I have also played experimental music within Shinchu, with Audrey Chen, an American musician who plays cello and ‘electronic voices.’ This experiment was interesting, since most of the audience had no musical education and had never learned how to play an instrument. However, they really enjoyed the music, whereas the audience with a classical background didn’t receive it so well.
An international experience
I have participated in all kinds of projects all over the world. I like to experiment in different styles of music and meet musicians from different cultures. It is one of the aspects I like the most about my life as a musician: the possibility to travel a lot and discover new cultures and people. One of my most recent projects is a joint effort with local dancers and musicians from Bali, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta.
About my collaboration with Turkish musician, Erdem
I met Erdem in 2008, when I had a stop-over in Istanbul. A musician friend from Costa Rica helped to put us in contact, and we immediately decided to record an album together. The songs chosen for this issue of Renlai are taken from that album. We recorded during three days at Erdem’s studio in Istanbul, and Erdem managed the latter part of music balance and sound fabrication. We also spent some time to discuss the titles and track order. Our inspiration was world new music.
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