Min Xiao-Fen - Echoes of Revolution and Jazz - Sigal Music Museum Distinguished Lecture Series

This video was made possible by a grant from South Carolina Humanities.
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.” 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.”
“Echoes of Revolution and Jazz: My Journey through Cultures - Recounting my experiences as a young girl during the Cultural Revolution, where I encountered reformed Beijing Opera and folk songs dedicated to the workers. Following my move to the US, I discovered new inspiration, this time from Thelonious Monk”
- Min Xiao-Fen"