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Wu Fei’s performance style is anything but traditional. While she’s grounded in the classical Gu Zheng technique she learned growing up in Beijing, she doesn’t let those traditions limit her. Instead, she treats the guzheng as a living, breathing extension of herself. She improvises freely, blending the instrument’s ancient voice with sounds from jazz, experimental music, Appalachian folk, and even avant-garde compositions. Her music often feels like a conversation between cultures, generations, and emotions.

What makes Wu Fei’s style truly special is that it’s not just about fusion, it’s about storytelling. Each performance carries pieces of her journey as a mother, an immigrant, and an artist straddling East and West. She isn’t afraid to break the rules, and in doing so, she opens up space for new ways of hearing and feeling the guzheng. Whether she’s collaborating with a banjo or composing a modern score, Wu Fei lets her instrument speak, sometimes in whispers, sometimes in shouts, but always with heart.

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Wu Fei is a celebrated guzheng player, composer, and vocalist known for blending traditional Chinese music with Western classical and contemporary styles. Born in Beijing, she studied at the China Conservatory of Music and later earned a master’s in composition from Mills College. She has performed globally at prestigious venues and festivals, including New York’s MoMA, the Forbidden City Concert Hall, and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Wu Fei composes for various ensembles, including choirs, gamelan, and orchestras, and has received international commissions from ensembles and institutions such as Percussions Claviers de Lyon and Chatterbird Ensemble. Her collaborations span genres, featuring artists like Béla Fleck, John Zorn, and Abigail Washburn. In addition to live performances, she conducts workshops at universities worldwide and has released multiple solo and collaborative recordings. Currently based in Nashville, Wu continues to innovate through her unique fusion of ancient guzheng traditions and modern improvisation.

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Wu Fei’s work stands out not only for her virtuosic technique but also for her genre-defying creativity. She fuses the ancient guzheng with jazz, Western classical music, folk traditions, and experimental improvisation. Her compositions and performances often defy categorization, reflecting a deep cultural hybridity. Notable collaborations with banjo legend Béla Fleck, avant-garde composer John Zorn, and folk musician Abigail Washburn demonstrate her ability to bridge cultures, genres, and generations.

In live performances and recorded projects, Wu Fei often improvises, allowing her guzheng to "speak" freely, unconstrained by traditional forms. This improvisational freedom mirrors her own journey as an immigrant, a mother, and a transnational artist navigating cultural identity. The guzheng becomes a metaphor for her life, an instrument of tradition that has found its voice in the modern world.

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References

Kennedy Center. "Wu Fei: Education Digital Programming." https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/digital-programming/2021-2022/wu-fei-edp/

WMF Podcast. "Wu Fei: Composer, Guzheng Virtuoso, Vocalist from Beijing." https://wmfpodcast.org/wu-fei-composer-guzheng-virtuoso-vocalist-from-beijing/

YouTube. "Interview with Wu Fei." https://youtu.be/CuDTKA8XuZ4?si=GcDUTblSjrr8nPxf

Romero, A. (2020, May 31). Artist Profiles: Wu Fei | World Music Central. World Music

Central | Your Connection to Traditional and Contemporary World Music, Including Folk, Roots, Global Music, Ethno and Crosscultural Fusions. https://worldmusiccentral.org/2020/05/31/artist-profiles-wu-fei/

Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. (2020). Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. https://folkways.si.edu/wu-fei-and-abigail-washburn

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1. Henan School (河南派)

Style: Bold, percussive, rhythmic

Techniques: Strong finger strikes, rhythmic clarity

Mood: Heroic, dramatic

2. Shandong School (山东派)

Style: Bright, clear, and agile

Techniques: Emphasis on fast finger movements and sharp articulation

Mood: Energetic, joyful

3. Chaozhou School (潮州派)

Style: Delicate, intricate, highly ornamented

Techniques: Sliding notes, tremolos, microtonal bends

Mood: Expressive, poetic

4. Hakka (Ke Jia) School (客家派)

Style: Lyrical, flowing, intimate

Techniques: Subtle dynamics, gentle glissandos

Mood: Nostalgic, tender

5. Zhejiang School (浙江派)

Style: Balanced, refined

Techniques: Focus on clarity and traditional phrasing

Mood: Calm, elegant

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1. Purpose and Cultural Role

Traditional guzheng : was deeply tied to Chinese cultural values, often associated with refinement, elegance, and personal cultivation. It was mainly played in intimate, formal settings like salons or scholarly gatherings.

Modern guzheng : is used for broader purposes, from personal storytelling to cultural fusion and global performance. It has become a platform for experimentation, activism, and self-expression, reflecting modern identity and creativity.

2. Musical Style

Traditional settings : guzheng music is built around pentatonic scales with fixed, structured compositions passed down through generations. The focus is on grace, control, and preserving historical sound.

Modern context : guzheng players incorporate jazz, pop, electronic, and global influences. They explore new scales, rhythms, and improvisational elements. It has become a cross-cultural bridge, especially when fused with genres like hip-hop, indie, or jazz.

3. Technique and Performance Practice

Traditionally : guzheng technique involves precise finger-plucking, subtle vibratos, and controlled glissandos. Performers often sit and follow formal stage etiquette.

Modern guzheng : artists experiment with extended techniques. Such as strumming, tapping, or digital effects and often perform standing, in experimental settings, or with multimedia visuals. This opens the guzheng up to new emotional textures and expressive power.

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In its early days, the guzheng was deeply connected to scholars, poets, and even courtesans, often played in imperial courts and Confucian ceremonies. It wasn’t just music, it was a reflection of inner peace, spiritual refinement, and harmony with nature. The pieces followed traditional Chinese modes and pentatonic scales, which allowed musicians to express deep emotions with elegance and control, in line with Confucian values like restraint and balance.

Traditionally, the guzheng was played either solo or in small ensembles, in quiet places like teahouses, private homes, or temples. Its gentle, flowing sound symbolized beauty, grace, and a deep connection to Chinese philosophy, especially Daoism’s love for nature and Confucianism’s sense of order. Techniques like tremolo, pitch bending, and harmonics made the music feel alive, often resembling the sound of rivers, wind, or a quiet melancholy. The guzheng also helped preserve and showcase regional musical identities across China.

For example, the Henan style is bold and rhythmic, while the Chaozhou and Hakka traditions are more delicate and melodic. These different approaches gave the guzheng a rich variety of sounds and helped shape it into the expressive and flexible instrument we know today.

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Rather than viewing the guzheng as a static cultural artifact, Wu Fei treats it as a living, breathing instrument capable of evolving alongside its players. In works like "If I Was a Batman Queen", performed with the Intersection Ensemble, Wu Fei integrates contemporary classical structure with Chinese melodic aesthetics.

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If I Was a Batman Queen (1) - Composed by Wu Fei & Performed by Wu Fei + Intersection Ensemble

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In her collaboration with Abigail Washburn on "The Roving Cowboy/Avarguli," she weaves together Uyghur folk melodies, American Appalachian music, and guzheng improvisation to create something completely new yet rooted in tradition.

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Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn - "The Roving Cowboy / Avarguli (阿瓦尔古丽)" [Official Music Video]

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Wu Fei’s music that make her uniquely different from other artists:

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Wu Fei’s music that make her uniquely different from other artists:

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What really sets Wu Fei apart is how she reimagines the guzheng. Not just as a traditional Chinese instrument, but as something limitless. Unlike many guzheng artists who stay within classical or folk traditions, Wu Fei blurs boundaries. She blends Chinese melodies with bluegrass, jazz improvisation, avant-garde noise, and even spontaneous vocalizations. This bold fusion creates a sound world that’s completely her own.

Another unique element is how deeply personal her music is. You can hear her life in it, her memories of Beijing, her experiences navigating American culture, and her emotions as a mother and immigrant. Her performances are not just about showcasing skill; they’re about sharing stories, expressing vulnerability, and connecting across cultures.