12:00 - 1:30pm - Lunch Performance
Taiwanese vocalist Mia Hsieh and American composer Scott Prairie met
(while dancing) in New York City where Mia had a Fulbright scholarship
and studied with Meredith Monk. They organically fused their basic
ingredients such as Tai Chi, experimental music, a love of nature and
spiritual practice to create A Moving Sound. Seven years later their
performance company has been described by the editor of leading world
music publication Global Rhythm as "one of the most original outfits
working in the world music arena today" and "an exciting development
in the progression of both traditional and contemporary Asian music"
by The New York Public Theater.
Mia and Scott are traveling all the way from Taiwan to perform a
sampling of what they do with their music company, A Moving Sound.
Scott will perform on his principal composing instrument the Zhong
Ruan, a round hollow-bodied Chinese guitar as well as bass guitar.
Scott has adapted the bass and performs with it in a way to emulate an
ancient Chinese instrument called "Ku-Chin" which was used for
purposes of meditation. Mia's vocal work in these pieces varies from
her own imagined languages as in "The Wedding Song" to a composition
which employs Nan Guan singing, one of the oldest Chinese music
styles. Mia will also present a piece involving several loop sampling
devices in which she creates an intricate layered vocal tapestry while
weaving the piece together through dance. Please see
www.amovingsound.com and www.myspace.com/amovingsound to get a
feeling for their unique creative spirit.