INTERVIEW: Musical Crossroads Converge at The Egg
03/22 @ The Egg, Albany
Flyer provided by Asian Arts New York
“When I sit on the stage to play this kind of music, I feel like every cell on my body is open.”
On Sunday, March 22, at The Egg, musical crossroads will converge for an unforgettable performance that combines the best of Asian and American music, from bamboo flutes to the fiddle. A Music Dialogue: Bamboo Meets Brass on the Silk Road is a one-of-a-kind concert that welcomes everyone to a musical dialogue between cultures and time.
“This is going to be amazing,” enthuses Wei Qin, president of Asian Arts New York and producer of the concert.
Asian Arts New York believes that art transcends boundaries and connects people. This show is a shining example of the organization’s aim to preserve and share Asian art and culture while using artistic expression to reach out to the community.
“It’s one-of-a-kind in the Capital Region,” continues Qin. “If the audience is able to come over with an open heart, they will experience some of the top musicians in their genre.”
The concert is inspired by the Silk Road, a historic era when artistic traditions from opposite sides of the world met, influenced one another, and evolved together. Using this concept, Asian Arts New York has drawn together musicians of all backgrounds.
“We’re trying to lead this project into the broader community, a broader audience, and therefore we’re trying to create a musical dialogue between the Asian folk musicians and American musicians,” says Qin.
“Every culture, individual, instrument, and musician has its own character,” says musician Zhou Yi. “But we work together to find a mutual point, to be connected. We can share each other’s music and each other’s thoughts. Music is a universal language; it doesn’t matter which corner of the earth you come from.”
Zhou Yi performing
Featured in the program are both local and New York City-based musicians, including the founders of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York, Yi (pipa) and Yimin Miao (bamboo flute).
“When I sit on the stage to play this kind of music, I feel like every cell on my body is open,” says Yi. “I’m willing to accept every signal from different musicians, even from the audience members. I hope the audience members get the same feeling if they just open themselves and open their minds.”
Rounding off the program are the renowned talents of Veena Chandra (sitar) and Devesh Chandra (tabla), Wenrui Shi (guqin), Thomas Torrisi (guitar), Sara Milonovich (fiddle), and Scott Hopkins (banjo).
Through the sitar and tabla, the Chandras will present traditional Indian ragas, an ancient musical system that explores emotion, meditation, and improvisation. “For us, collaborations like this celebrate both the uniqueness of each culture and the shared spirit that connects musical traditions,” they remark.
The theme of musical tradition weaves through the concert for Shi, who will be playing three programs in the concert. Her instrument, the guqin, is one of the most ancient in the world, associated with the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
“For guqin, it may be a rare opportunity to hear live,” says Shi. “This instrument has a very intimate sound. Hearing it in person is very different from recordings, so I think it will be a memorable experience.”
Yimin Miao playing bamboo flute
Country music lovers will also be able to enjoy the timeless classics of “Half Past Four” and “Brushy Fork of John’s Creek,” reimagined through live improvisation. Torrisi and Hopkins, performing the multi-cultural folk sections on banjo and guitar, hope that audiences of all backgrounds will embrace both the familiar and the unknown.
“As they watch the concert develop, they’re going to see these unfamiliar pieces come together and form this connected idea,” says Torrisi. “By the time they leave, they’ll understand the universal language of music.”
This is the heart of A Music Dialogue: Bamboo Meets Brass on the Silk Road, as the musicians discover the universal language that music provides. Veena and Devesh emphasize this powerful force of music to “express emotion, connect with audiences, and create something meaningful in the moment.”
Milonovich echoes their sentiment. “Music is truly a universal language and a way of bringing people together,” she agrees. “It reminds us of the humanity we all have in common, and at a time when the world is so focused on our differences, I think bringing people together is more important now than ever.”
For more information, visit www.theegg.org.