About this Event
Doors open at 7:00 PM | Concert begins at 7:30 PM
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About This Event
Presented in partnership between the Sigal Music Museum and the Greenville Fine Arts Center - This is a treat for cinephiles and music aficionados alike! In 2023, Min Xiao-Fen was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution to compose new original soundtracks for the 1920s-era Chinese silent films, 'Romance of the Fruit Peddler' and 'Romance of the Western Chamber.'
Known for her innovative approach to traditional music and her ability to seamlessly integrate diverse musical styles, Min Xiao-Fen will perform with master percussionist River Guerguerian, a leading figure in classical, jazz, and world music. Together, they bring a unique cross-cultural expression and artistic vision to the stage. Both films will be shown during the performance.
Instrumentation:
Min Xiao-Fen: pipa, ruan, sanxian, guqin, finger piano, sound effects, and voice
River Guerguerian: Middle Eastern and Indian frame drums, hand drums, kanjira talking drums, berimbau, doumbek, Chinese gongs, hand-pan, didgeridoo, rain stick, and voice
Bios:
Few artists have done more to both honor and reinvent the 2000-year history of the pipa than soloist, vocalist and composer Min Xiao-Fen. Classically trained in her native China, she served as a principal pipa soloist at Nanjing Traditional Music Orchestra and was an in-demand interpreter of traditional music before relocating to the United States and forging a new path for her instrument alongside many of the leading lights in modern jazz, free improvisation, experimental and contemporary classical music. NPR Weekend Edition lauded Ms. Min as “one of the world’s greatest virtuosos” and JazzTimes hailed her as “a pioneer in integrating her ancient instrument with modern jazz and improvised music.” The New York Times raved that her singular work “has traversed a sweeping musical odyssey.”
In 2023, Min received a commission from the Smithsonian Institution in 2023 to compose new original soundtracks for Romance of the Fruit Peddler and Romance of the Western Chamber, two historical Chinese silent films from the 1920s, premiered with Middle Eastern percussionist River Guerguerian at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in May 6, 2023. The two scoresare being recorded for her album Metta, released and performed with the films at the Big Ears Festival on March 23, and also performed at Leaf Festival on May 10 this year.
The GRAMMY U selected her as a mentor for 2023 and 2024. Min’s other notable works include the 2021 album White Lotus, her original score to the 1934 silent film The Goddess, featuring acclaimed guitarist Rez Abbasi, the deeply personal 2017 release Mao, Monk and Me, which explores the music ofThelonious Monk, on From Harlem to Shanghai and Back, Min’s Blue Pipa Trio commingles trumpeter Buck Clayton’s Kansas City swing with the music of Li Jinhui, the “Father of Chinesepopular music” and 2012 Dim Sum spotlights the stunning scope of her compositions. Min was acurator at The Stone and the Museum of Chinese in America in New York. She also served as artist-in-residence with the Sound of Dragon Society for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and was a guiding artist for the Creative Music Studio and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. www.minbluepipa.com
River Guerguerian has been inspiring audiences with his ecstatic and versatile percussion for over 35 years. Born in Montreal to Armenian-Egyptian-Syrian parents, River began his cross- cultural musical journey at an early age. He graduated from The Manhattan School of Music Conservatory in 1989 with the school’s award for Most Outstanding Percussionist. River plays across a remarkable span of musical genres and traditions, both obscure and mainstream, delivering a personal and masterful sound with Old World instruments originating from the Middle East, India, and Africa. The New York Times acclimated “Guerguerian’s composition, sensationally performed, devoted itself even more religiously to the possibilities of pure sound.” River has recorded on over 300 albums and film soundtracks and has performed in over 30 countries with such groups as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, New Music Consort, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, Chuck Berry, Tan Dun, and Ziggy Marley and The Gipsy Kings. You can hear his lyrical style with his world jazz ensemble Free Planet Radio, as well as others he curates.
In 1994, River sold all of his possessions and stepped off of the grid. He resided in a wildlife sanctuary in the Himalayas. The adventure lasted for five years and led to his immersion into sound and nature. River is the Music Director of the Odyssey Community School and Artistic Director of Asheville Rhythm, which produces the Asheville Percussion Festival. Visit him at www.ShareTheDrum.com.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Fine Arts Center, 102 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 23.18
