Liu Fang
The pipa player Liu Fang plays guzheng, Chinese zither with 21 strings Liu Fang plays pipa, four-stringed guitar

Liu Fang
Soloist for pipa & guzheng,

traditional Chinese pluck-string instruments.

Presskits - profile, photos and music samples

German TV

CBC TV

Upcoming concerts


Chinese traditional pipa music  Chinese classical music for pipa solo

Chinese pipa music from the folk tradition  Chinese traditional guzheng music

inter-cultural collaboration: classical and contemporary music for pipa and guitar  

inter-cultural collaboration: classical and contemporary music for pipa and guitar  

Related sbjects

 

Chinese traditional music from the classical literati traditions - its connections to poetry and other arts of China. .

.Chinese stringed instruments - introduction and music samples

The history of the pipa, Chinese four-stringed lute



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 Exchange of ideas with Liu Fang: Questions and answers

Liu Fang performed solo pipa at the Book Lover’s Ball in honour of the RIVER OF STARS by Guy Gavriel Kay, the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of 11 fantasy novels.

Videos: Liu Fang concert live in St. Petersburg & the reparts from Russian TV.

 

 

   
 

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videos | TV & Radio | Photos | Concerts

Biography

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."

Liu Fang has made a number of national and international TV & Radio appearances, produced several CDs. Liu Fang was invited as one of the featured artists by BBC World Service for the concert on November 7, 2003 dedicated to World AIDS Day. She performed at the 60th anniversary of UNESCO in Paris on November 16, 2005, and has also been honored by the government of Canada. She has performed with orchestras, string quartets and various instruments the works of many contemporary composers, including, among others, Tan Dun and R. Murray Schafer.


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Press reviews

“The empress of pipa - one of the greatest virtuosos" - L'actualité (Québec).

“… one musician, but ten talented fingers!". - Sir Ian McKellen.

“Superb sensitivity and unrivaled dramaturgic feeling." - Mondomix (France).

“...the magic of the music of Liu Fang, divine mediator.." - World (France).

“... Masterful, graceful and riveting...” - BBC London (England).

“...so beautiful, so touching..." - Le Monde de la Musique (France)

"... Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity & flexibility that marks a true musician. ... " - fROOTS Magazine (UK)

“...delicate and sensational..." - De Volkskrant (The Netherlands).

“… A veritable feast for the ears, eyes, heart and soul" - Prof. Dr. Tran Van Khe (Paris).

More press reviews and their sources ...


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Montreal, Quebec, Canada