Bourgie Hall presents

Liu Fang

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, this exceptional recital by a Chinese-born Montreal virtuoso showcases the richness of the repertoire for pipa, a pear-shaped lute, and guzheng, a ancestral zither.

A 30-minute pre-concert talk will be given by the artist and Olivier Godin, Artistic Director of Bourgie Hall. It will take place inside the concert hall at 1:30 p.m. and will present the various styles and techniques of the pipa. Following the talk, tea and pastries will be served to the audience, just before the concert starts.

Liu Fang is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso for pipa and guzheng. Born in 1974 in Kunming in the province of Yunnan, China, she began playing the pipa at the age of 6, and by 11, she performed before Queen Elizabeth II. Her studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music broadened her musical range to include the study of the guzheng. At the age of 22, Liu Fang immigrated to Canada and she currently resides in Montreal. Since 1999, she has performed hundreds of solo concerts featuring Chinese traditional and classical music on her two solo instruments, at such prestigious venues as the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Philharmonic Hall of Liège, Belgium, and the Bath International Music Festival. Her profile has risen rapidly due to her rich and deeply spiritual performances and her extensive repertoire. Described in the media as the “empress of pipa” (L’actualité, Canada), “divine mediator” (World, France), ” a great ambassador for the Chinese music ” (de Volkskrant, The Netherlands), Liu Fang is known as “possessing virtuoso technique, grace and a unique empathy toward the music she plays – whether it is a traditional and folk tune or a modern Western composition” (All Music Guide, USA). “

Apart from her numerous solo concerts, Liu Fang has also many intercultural collaborations in terms of “Silk and Steel Projects”, where “Silk” represents the traditional culture of China whereas “steel” is a metaphor for modernity and western culture. Her last album entitled “Silk Sound” (Le son de soie) featured musical dialogues with artists from three different continents and was awarded the grand prize of L’Académie Charles Cros, the French equivalent of the US Recording Academy. Back in 2001, Liu Fang was the only musician to receive the prestigious “Future Generation Millennium Prize” awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts to three artists of different disciplines under 30 years of age. The words of the jury summed up her achievements rather succinctly: “Liu Fang’s mastery of the pipa and the guzheng has established her international reputation as a highly talented young interpreter of traditional Chinese music. She aspires to combine her knowledge and practice of eastern traditions with western classical music, contemporary music and improvisation, thereby creating new musical forms, uniting different cultures and discovering new audiences.”

Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2:30pm

To purchase your tickets visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/