Wu Fei: Genre-bending Composer, Guzheng Virtuoso & Vocalist From Beijing

Wu Fei describes herself as an ancient soul trapped in a feisty woman's body. Hailing from Beijing, China, Wu Fei is a multi-talented musician and composer known for playing and improvising on the traditional Chinese guzheng as well as improvisational singing and piano. Fei talks to John about her life as a child prodigy, transitioning from China to the U.S., how both countries have influenced her and her music, and what it was like to hear American music for the first time in her teenage years. She also discusses her critically acclaimed original work "Hello Gold Mountain."   MUSICAL MENTIONS   0:09 World Music Foundation 0:11 John Gardner 0:16 Wu Fei 0:18 Guzheng 0:25 Tone 1:43 Pitch 1:44 Rhythm 4:06 Sanxian 4:08 Fret 4:09 Banjo 4:52 Music Theory 4:55 China Conservatory of Music 5:13 Piano 5:18 Western Classical Music 6:10 Chinese Music 10:44 African Dance 10:46 Indian Dance 13:07 Michael Jackson 13:08 Madonna 13:10 Jazz 13:12 Kitaro 13:13 Taiko Drum 13:14 Koto 13:28 American Music 15:38 John Cage 15:50 Compose 17:20 String Quartet 17:35 Shostakovich 17:36 Brahmes 17:38 Jimmi Hendrix 18:58 Northern Texas Music College 24:46 West-African Drumming and Dance Ensemble 24:48 Northern Indian Raga 24:52 Percussion 24:52 Marching Band 25:53 Mills College 26:02 Improvisation 27:58 Hello Golden Mountain 28:49 Ravi Shankar 30:13 Soloist 32:02 Indian Music 36:56 Chatterbird 38:50 Celine Thackston 39:48 National Symphony 41:36 Oud 41:36 Shanir Blumenkranz 42:25 Mei-Ann-Chen 44:16 Harp 44:25 Keyboard 44:49 Vibrato 48:11 Bach 48:12 Ravel 48:51 Abigail Washburne 49:13 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings