Wu Man, solo pipa

Wu Man, solo pipa

Thursday, March 28, 2013 . 8PM
Wu Man
Wu Man photo by Stephen Kahn

Event Attributes

Presented By

Presented By: 
Intermission: 
90 minutes with no intermission
Program Notes: 

Recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and as a leading ambassador of Chinese music, Chinese-born musician Wu Man creates and fosters projects that give this ancient instrument a new role in today’s musical world.

She has introduced the pipa — the traditional, four-stringed Chinese lute — to new audiences around the world and has commissioned and premiered more than a hundred new works.

Through projects she has instigated, the pipa has found a place in new solo and quartet works, concertos, opera, chamber, electronic and jazz music, as well as in theatre productions, film, dance and collaborations with visual artists.

Her adventurous musical spirit has also made her a respected expert on the history and preservation of Chinese musical traditions, reflected in her recorded and live performances and multi-cultural collaborations.

This performance is included in Diversity Through Music, an event series sponsored by the UMD Office of Diversity Education and Compliance and the Nyumburu Cultural Center through a grant from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with the cooperation of the Clarice Smith Center. To view a full schedule of events, visit the Nyumburu Cultural Center’s website.

Wu Man most recently appeared at the Center in A Chinese Home with Kronos Quartet (2009-2010).

Preview by The Gazette

Playing a classical lute-like Chinese instrument called the pipa, virtuoso musician Wu Man is able to evoke the historic 202 B.C. battle in China between the Chu and Han armies that ushered in the Han Dynasty.

Using the pipa — pronounced peep-a — she can also play more than 100 of her own and commissioned contemporary compositions to help preserve and build the historic instrument’s repertoire.

“I want to take the audience on a pipa journey with me,” said Wu.

– VIRGINIA TERHUNE, The Gazette, Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Wu Man performs "Night Thoughts"