Light of the Blind: Concert of Xẩm Street Music [POSTPONED]
Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Light of the Blind concludes with a concert of Xẩm Street Music featuring Vietnamese guest artists Mai Tuyet Hoa, Nguyen Tran Hau, and Đào Thị Phương Thanh; Wesleyan’s Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Jin Hi Kim on komungo (Korean zither), vocalist and Associate Professor of Music and Medieval Studies Jane Alden, and student percussionists.The concert will be followed at 8pm by a Q&A with the performers.
Mai Tuyet Hoa is a folk musician, vocalist and fiddler, performer of Hát Xẩm, and studied nhi from the age of eight. She graduated from the Vietnam National Academy of Music. She is a director of The Center for Research, Preservation and Promotion of the Traditional Music in Hanoi. She is leader of Xẩm Hà Thành Ensemble and a leading singer in Hát Xẩm, revising the tradition of Hà Thị Cầu’s singing style since 2006. She works for VOV Television Editorial - Radio Voice of Vietnam.
Nguyen Tran Hau is a flute player. He studied at Hanoi College of Art and Hue Academy of Music specializing in performing traditional instruments. He is currently working at the Thang Long Puppet, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. He participated in two dance festivals, then at the International in Vietnam he won the gold medal 2012. He joined the traditional music festival in Hue in 2015, and participated in the traditional music festival in Da Lat, where he won the gold medal in 2017. He joined the traditional music festival in Thanh Hoa where he won the silver medal. He has performed in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, and other countries.
Đào Thị Phương Thanh plays đàn bầu (one string instrument). She graduated from the Vietnam National Academy of Music. As a member of Vietnam People’s Artist, she has performed overseas including Russia, Australia, China, India, Hong Kong, Dubai, Cambodia and Lao.
Wesleyan University's Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and Yale University present Light of the Blind, a series of workshops, colloquia, and concert performances. The project aims to create a deeper awareness and understanding of the healing possibilities of music for those struggling in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and to offer a forum for conversations between American and Vietnamese-American communities. The Vietnamese practice of Xẩm singing will inform the discussion, as audience and performers collaborate on cross-cultural musical experiences.
Organized by the Wesleyan University Music Department and Yale University’s Council on Southeast Asia Studies. Supported by Wesleyan’s Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life Collaborative Project, College of East Asian Studies, and Center for the Arts.