Pink Chamber – an improvisation by Lan Tung & Marina Hasselberg

Lan Tung (erhu)

Lan Tung’s music often experiments with contradictions by taking culturally specific materials outside their context. Her works embody the rhythmic intricacy from Indian influence, the sense of breath from Chinese tradition, and years of experiences interpreting contemporary compositions. Incorporating improvisation and graphic notations, Lan’s compositions are released on numerous CDs, winning multiple nominations. Lan is the artistic director of Sound of Dragon SocietyOrchid Ensemble, and Proliferasian. Originally from Taiwan, she has studied graphic score with Barry Guy, improvisation with Mary Oliver, Hindustani music with Kala Ramnath, and Uyghur music with Abdukerim Osman, in addition to her studies of Chinese music since a young age. Lan has appeared as a soloist with Orchestre Metropolitain (Montreal), Symphony Nova Scotia, Upstream Ensemble (Halifax), Atlas Ensemble (Amsterdam & Helsinki), Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taipei).

 

Marina Hasselberg (cello)

Marina Hasselberg’s musical career has led her from her birth country of Portugal across the world to Vancouver’s eclectic music scene. Starting as a chamber musician specializing in classical music, her passions have expanded to include baroque music, experimental music, and interdisciplinary works that cross genre boundaries. Marina serves as the principal cellist of the Vancouver Island Symphony, while also performing with Vancouver New Music, Early Music Vancouver, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Turning Point Ensemble, Plastic Acid Orchestra, Redshift Music Society, Vancouver Pro Music, the Okanagan and Kamloops symphonies, and pop stars including Father John Misty, Michael Bublé, Rod Stewart, and Mariah Carey. Marina recently received the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for emerging artist in Music, and a Jessie Award for outstanding artistic achievement in music ensemble work for “Onegin” (Arts Club Theatre). She was select as the Feature Artist for Pro Musica’s 2017 Sonic Boom Music Festival. Her own NOVO Ensemble was voted Vancouver Courier’s best classical music ensemble of 2016 alongside the VSO and Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. As the artistic director of NOVO Ensemble she commissions and presents new works, especially by Canadian composers. She has performed premiers of works by Howard Skempton, Michael Oesterle, Veda Hille, Giorgio Magnanensi, Owen Underhill, Peggy Lee, Cameron Wilson, John Oliver, Chris Reiche, Edward Topp, Jordan Nobles, Mark Haney, Rita Ueda, Leslie Uyeda, Luc Martin, Linda Bouchard, Stephen Chatman, John Oswald, and many more. http://www.marinahasselberg.com

 

Read an article in Stir Vancouver about Lan & Marina’s collaboration: https://www.createastir.ca/articles/global-soundscapes-hasselberg-tung-qa

About the Instruments

Erhu: a bowed instrument from China with a long neck and two strings between which a horsehair bow is placed. The strings are tuned to a fifth. The sound box may take different shapes – hexagon, octagon, round, or ellipse – and is covered on one side by snakeskin. The erhu performs an essential role in Chinese classical music as well as in the folk music tradition. It is held vertically to play – the left hand plays without a fingerboard, while the right hand holds the bow and plays one string at a time.

Video Production Credits

Director of Photography – Kerry Phillips

Gaffer / B Camera – Yong Jin Kim

Audio Engineer & Mix – Sheldon Zaharko

All additional photography – Kerry Phillips

Filmed and recorded on July 27, 2020 at Pyatt Hall (VSO School of Music) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

For the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra:

Global Soundscapes Festival Producer – Mark Armanini

Senior Project Manager – Farshid Samandari

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