Fri, Jul 13 from 8pm – 11pm
The Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre Street New York, NY 10013
MOCAMIX concert where old school will meet new school for an old fashioned jam. What happens when you meld contemporary jazz standards with a traditional Chinese lute? Find out with us as these talented musicians play it all by ear.
About the Artists
Christopher Yahng is a jazz singer currently based in New York. Drawing his inspiration from jazz artists Chet Baker, Harry Connick, Jr. and Frank Sinatra, Christopher blends his love of classic jazz and big band music with Chinese standards and lyrics to create his signature sound. At the age of 4, wearing his favorite fire engine pajamas, Christopher gave his 1st concert in his parents’ living room in San Francisco and went on to study music at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
A world recognized virtuoso in both orchestral and underground styles, pipa player, vocalist and composer Min Xiao-Fen is known for her fluid style. Ms. Min began her career as a pipa soloist with the Nanjing Traditional Music Orchestra in China by winning the Jiangsu national pipa competition. Since she moved to the United States in 1992, she has been a featured soloist with the Pacific Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Macao Orchestra and many others. Min has performed at the Lincoln Center Festival, New York Guitar Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Amsterdam-China Festival, Utrecht International Lute Festival, Geneva Music Festival, TUM Festival in Finland, Macao Arts Festival, Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Great Mountains International Music Festival in Korea and Festivalgerie 2010 and 2011. She has performed with and premiered the work of such noted composers as John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Tan Dun, Huang Ruo, Randy Weston, Philip Glass and many others. She made an appearance on Björk’s album, Volta, and later performed as Björk’s special guest at Madison Square Garden, the Apollo Theater and Radio City Music Hall in New York. As a composer, Min received a commission in 2007 for “Return of the Dragon” from The Kitchen. She was a featured composer and solo performer in “Blue Pipa” for the American Composers Orchestra’s Composer Out Front series. Her “Dim Sum” was premiered and performed at Interpretations in 2010, the Undead Jazzfest 2011 and in 2012 at WQXR-FM New York Public Radio.