Apr 28
Guest/Faculty Recital: Gao Hong and Issam Rafea
Gao Hong, pipa, and special guest Issam Rafea, oud, present “Life As Is” - The Blending of Ancient Souls from Syria and China, a concert of music to celebrate the release of new recordings.
Issam Rafea (a master of the Oud, the Arabic lute) and Gao Hong (a leading player of the Pipa, the Chinese pear-shaped lute) met in the spring of 2017 at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Issam was an artist-in-residence during the spring term, and Gao Hong invited him to teach her students about Arabic music. At the end of the term, she suggested they go into a studio to record some improvisations just for fun. To their surprise and delight, they immediately bonded as soon as they started to play. Their improvisations were so cohesive and alive that it seemed as if they had worked together for years, if not lifetimes.
'Life As Is' is a reflection of both of their lives. It is their life stories, as reflected in the track titles. Both of them “Walking the Distance” to America to follow their dreams.
This concert is free, unticketed, and open to the public.