Spring Free: Taipei Vancouver Roberts Creek
春遊 臺北、溫哥華、陽光海岸
May 2 | 7pm | Performances at xwesam-Roberts Creek Hall (1309 Roberts Creek)
May 3 | 2pm | Improvisation workshop at 8EAST (8 East Pender St. Vancouver) (link)
May 3 | 8pm | Taiwan meets 8EAST (8 East Pender St. Vancouver)
May 4 | 7-10pm | Spring Free Marathon at 8EAST (8 East Pender St. Vancouver)
Co-Presented by NOW Society & Sound of Dragon Society
We are hosting the visit of Taiwanese musicians Shih-Yang Lee 李世揚 - Piano 鋼琴, Fan-Qi Wu 吳凡棋 - Pipa 琵琶, Hsiao-Feng Lin 林小楓 - Dizi 笛子, and visual artist Li Tung 董籬 in May of 2025. On May 2, acclaimed Sunshine Coast musicians join the guest artists at xwesam-Roberts Creek Hall for an evening of performances and improvisations. On May 3, the Guest Artists meet the Vancouver 8EAST Collective in impromptu groupings. The Spring Free Marathon brings together over 20 musicians on May 4 at 8EAST in an evening of non-stop improvisation. There will be a participatory improvisation workshop for musicians of all levels of experience the afternoon of May 3, from 2 – 3:30 pm, facilitated by the Taiwanese guests.
Advance Tickets (click here): $20 General, $10 students/seniors/musicians
Available @ nowsociety.org & soundofdragon.com
Tickets at the door by donation
Fan-Qi Wu 吳凡棋 - pipa 琵琶
Award-winning pipa player from Taiwan. Influenced and inspired by minimal music, Scandinavian jazz, and Asian traditional music, she has absorbed different vocabularies and developed her sound in an eclectic, poetic, and spacious way. Holding her master degree at Högskolan för scen och musik in Göteborg, Sweden, Fan-Qi has performed worldwide in many international festivals and concert series, such as Babel Sound Festival (Hungary), IMPRA Jazz Festival (Sweden), Klänge aus Ostasien (Germany), Building Bridges (Switzerland), Arena:Klassik (Norway), Red Light Jazz Festival (Netherlands). Fan-Qi’s honors include OneBeat 12 - selected by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (2023). Besides her own project, she is also a member of Wooli Duo, Mykorhiza, and PIPA-ensemble.
Hsiao-Feng Lin 林小楓 - Dizi 笛子
Born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is an active Chinese flute virtuoso/soloist/improviser, he plays Chinese traditional music, world music, free improvisation, and experimental avant-garde in the contemporary music world. In recent years, he is committed and a variety of artistic collaboration include poetry, calligraphy, painting, dance, Chinese martial arts, electronic music, experimental music, free improvisation and so on. In addition to performing, he often come and go in all kinds of arts and cultural activities. He has received awards of Best Asian Flute Recording and World Flutist of the Year in World Flute Society Music Awards 2024.
Shih-Yang Lee 李世揚 - Piano 鋼琴
Accomplished Taiwanese pianist, composer, and curator Shih-Yang Lee works primarily in improvised music. As a performer, he has toured widely in Europe and Asia in festivals: Météo Festival (France), All Ears Festival (Norway), Jazz Improvise Meeting Festival (China), Freespace Jazz Fest (Hong Kong), KLEX Festival (Malaysia). He has collaborated with dance productions and founded music improvisation ensemble Ka Dao Yin to win prestigious awards, such as the Taishin Art Award, Golden Melody Award, and the Golden Indie Music Award. As a curator, he is known as a leading organizer for the burgeoning improvisation scene in Taiwan.
Li Tung 董籬 - Projections
Born in 1971 in Taipei, Li graduated from the School of Visual Arts at the National Taiwan University of Arts. An artist crossing many genres, he is a painter, media artist, writer, performing artist, installation artist, curator, and graphic designer. Since 2010, Li started to perform live painting with improvising musicians and dancers. He joined the acclaimed MAFIA Ensemble, the leading force in Taiwan’s experimental and improvisational arts scene, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary practices. Li has collaborate with numerous Taiwanese and Japanese artists at “Create Music” festival. In the past 30 years, his artworks has been exhibited at various galleries in Taiwan, including the Taipei Arts Gallery. He is a member of “May Artists Collective”, Taiwan’s most influential and longstanding artists collection. Li’s novels and short stories have won numerous awards. He has been published in Taiwan and China.
May 2 | 7pm | Performances at xwesam-Roberts Creek Hall (1309 Roberts Creek)
Featuring:
Li Tung - Projections
Lan Tung - Erhu, Voice
Special Guests from Taiwan:
Fan-Qi Wu 吳凡棋 - pipa 琵琶
Hsiao-Feng Lin 林小楓 - Dizi 笛子
Shih-Yang Lee 李世揚 - Piano 鋼琴
James Meger - Bass
Graham Ord - Saxophone
Anna Lumiere - Piano
Stefan Smulovitz - Viola, Electronics
May 3 | 8pm | Taiwan meets 8EAST (8 East Pender St. Vancouver)
Featuring:
Li Tung - Projections
Lan Tung - Erhu, Voice
Special Guests from Taiwan:
Fan-Qi Wu 吳凡棋 - pipa 琵琶
Hsiao-Feng Lin 林小楓 - Dizi 笛子
Shih-Yang Lee 李世揚 - Piano 鋼琴
Johanna Hauser - bass clarinet
JP Carter - trumpet
Josh Zubot - violin
Lisa Cay Miller - piano
Matthew Ariaratnam - guitar
Adrian Avendaño - drums
Jesus Caballero- drums
May 4 | 7-10pm | Spring Free Marathon at 8EAST (8 East Pender St. Vancouver)
Continuous improvised music!
Featuring:
Li Tung - Projections
Lan Tung - Erhu, Voice
Special Guests from Taiwan:
Fan-Qi Wu 吳凡棋 - pipa 琵琶
Hsiao-Feng Lin 林小楓 - Dizi 笛子
Shih-Yang Lee 李世揚 - Piano 鋼琴
Johanna Hauser – bass clarinet
Bruce Freedman – saxophone
JP Carter – trumpet
Lan Tung – erhu and voice
Akiko Kawamura - voice
Josh Zubot - violin
Taees Gheirati - santour
T’uy’t’tanat -Cease Wyss - Modular Plant Synth
Lisa Cay Miller – piano
Clyde Reed - bass
John Brennan - drums
Cameron Davidson - drums
