Qiu Xia He

A talented musician, Qiu Xia He was born in China in the Shanxi province located in China's heart. From childhood she started playing the pipa, the Chinese four stringed lute and learned the intricate techniques needed for playing this instrument. Blessed by an extraordinary dexterity, talent and also by a deep determination, Qiu Xia He mastered the pipa's secret at age 13 and started teaching it's art.

In later years, Qiu Xia He participated in innumerous national competitions and was admitted to the prestigious Xian Academy. Finishing her studies she followed a teaching career at this respected institution while touring China with a professional group from Shaanxi.

Having arrived in Vancouver, Canada in 1989, Qiu Xia He works as a musician, a composer, an actress and a teacher. Thanks to her virtuosity, she has played as a soloist with many orchestras and with great musicians like Celso Machado, John Reischman and Trichy Sankaran.

Always an open minded person, Qiu Xia He is mesmerized by music and explores the rich traditions of Chinese music as well as jazz, folk and traditional European music styles that widen her repertoire. As co-founder of the Silk Road Duo, she adds her special soft interpretation with oriental flavors.

Press Review

ImaginaAsian Concert 2006
Silk Road Music with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Pierre Simard, Conductor

Review by Kenneth Delong for the Calgary Herald

Each year, as part of Asian heritage month, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra puts on a concert devoted to the musical traditions of the far east.

This year's event, similar in general outline to previous concerts, nevertheless contained some interesting new ele-ments that made it especially satisfying for the listener. Notable was the guest appearance of Silk Road Music, a group of six musicians, four of Asian origin and two from the West. Their style of music and their way of presenta-tion is a fascinating mixture of western and oriental cul-tures, the songs presented in a multilingual fashion, and the instrumental element moving seamlessly among musi-cal traditions ranging from China to Celtic. Central to the spirit of the group is Qiu Xia He, a spirited young lady who is a superb virtuoso on the pipa, a type of Chinese guitar or lute.

Whether the music is soulful or playfully rhythmic, Qiu Xia He was able to plumb the musical center of every piece she played,a remarkable show of innate talent and technical expertise.

Her western male alter ego, André Thibault, was also impressive for his expressive playing and general high spir-its on stage.

The group performed several pieces by it self, ranging from Mongolian and Chinese folk melodies to faux Celtic music, performed surprisingly idiomatically on Chinese instruments.

The remainder of the program included works performed by the CPO under the able direction of Piere Simard, who was also the arranger of three of the items, including a piece by Gustav Holst and composers from Vietnam and Korea.

Of greater musical interest were the works actually com-posed for a symphony orchestra by composers whose cultural roots are in the far east, but whose musical train-ing is western. This included a symphony movement on Taiwanese melodies by Maon Shuen Chen and the fi nal work by Jin Zhang, a conductor/composer working in the Vancouver area. This last was a clever, attractive work enti-tled Spring in the Snow Mountains, which featured some splashy playing by the Silk Road Music.

Filling out the program was an appearance of the Mount Royal College Conservatory Trio, sporting two members of Asian background who play Western music in a completely idiomatic way.

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