Chinese Pipa Virtuoso Wu Man to Open Kimmel Center Fresh Ink Series
October 19, 2005
Wu Man
Internationally acclaimed Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man kicks off the Kimmel Center’s Fresh Ink Series on Thursday, November 10 at 7:30pm in Perelman Theater. The performance will feature world premieres by composers Eric Moe, The Sun Beats the Mountain Like a Drum, and Chen Yi, Ancient Dances—Three Poems by Li Bai, which ventures into the partnership between traditional music and calligraphy.
This is the first of three performances in the Kimmel Center Presents Fresh Ink Series which showcase the innovative contemporary music style of both established and younger artists. The second concert in the series is Mozart: Reloaded, curated by Andrea Clearfield, on Saturday, January 21 at 7:30pm, featuring Group Motion, Uri Caine, Gloria Justen, University of Delaware Steel Drum Ensemble, Tony Miceli and four world premiere commissions for pianist Charles Abramovic.
Tickets for Wu Man on November 10 are $26 and $36 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply).
Born in China, Wu Man studied at the Central Conservatory in Beijing and was the first to obtain a master’s degree of the ancient Chinese lute known as the pipa. She is the leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music and recognized as a distinguished exponent of the traditional repertoire. She has participated in multiple modern works from a new generation of Chinese composers. She now resides in the United States and has commissioned new works for pipa by composers Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi and others. Wu Man gave the world premiere of Lou Harrison’s pipa concerto at the Lincoln Center 1997 and premiered Tan Dun’s pipa concerto with Gerald Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony in 2001.
Awarding winning Wu Man received first prize in the first National Music Performance in China. In 1999, she was named winner of the City of Toronto/ Glenn Gould Protégé Prize by Yo-Yo Ma. Since then they have toured together across the United States and abroad as part of the Silk Road Project.
Today Wu Man continues to collaborate with renowned musicians such as Yuri Bashmet, Cho-liang Lin, the Kronos Quartet, Christoph Eschenbach, Ensemble Modern, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group. Wu Man has recorded for Nimbus, Nonesuch, Point Music, and Sony. She has recorded her first original composition From A Distance on the Naxos World label.
Tickets for Wu Man on November 10 are $26 and $36 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply). For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performances at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased the 2.5 hours prior to evening performances and 11:30am for matinees. (Additional fees may apply)
Fresh Ink’s 2005/2006 season is made possible by a grant from the Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by the University of the Arts.
Sponsors of the 2005/2006 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Sovereign Bank, The American Express Company, and Verizon Foundation. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the official airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously by Deoloitte and South Wine and Spirit.
WRTI is the Media Sponsor for the Kimmel Center’s Fresh Ink Series.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS Fresh Ink November 10, 2005, 7:30pm Perelman Theater
Wu Man, pipa
Xi Yang Xiao Gu,Flute and Drum Music at Sunset
Shi Mian Mai Fu,Ambush Laid on Ten Sides
Xiao Yue Er Gao,High Little Moon
Eric Moe,The Sun Beats the Mountain Like a Drum (World Premiere)
Wang Huiran,Dance of the Yi People,
Xiao Pu An Zhou,Chanting of the Monk Pu An (adapted by Wu Man)
Wu Man,Collage
Chen Yi and Wu Man,Ancient Dances—Three Poems by Li Bai (701–762) (World Premiere) Wu Man, pipa Robert Schulz, percussion Catherine Owens, videographer Larry Neff, lighting design and technical adviser Wu Man, concept Commissioned by Walton Arts Foundation
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