Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet will take the Englert stage tonight.

By Gracey Murphy
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One woman. Four strings. Endless melodies.

Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet will perform at 8 p.m. today at the Englert, 221 E. Washington St. The program will focus on fusing contemporary and traditional Chinese music to make beautiful sounds.

Man knew the Shanghai Quartet as young schoolmates, long before they partnered professionally.

“For me, it’s like an old friends reunion making music together,” Man said.

Man has played with many different groups from various countries and cultures; last week, she played with the Kronos Quartet in San Francisco. She’s played with Western music timber groups, African musicians, Egyptian musicians, among others.

With all of these artists, Man plays the pipa, a pear-shaped instrument that sounds similar to a lute. It has four strings played by plucking with the fingers.

“It’s a unique and cool sound of an instrument, though it’s very hard to play,” Man said.

Man has been playing the pipa since the age of 9. Her parents are huge supporters of traditional music and wanted her to learn to play music with a cultural background.

“Because my instrument is one of the oldest instruments to exist in China and is about 2,000 years old, it represents Chinese music and culture and my parents are very into that,” Man said. “Basically my parents made the decision for me to play this instrument.”

In addition to playing the pipa, Man is also a founding member of the Silk Road Project with Yo-Yo Ma. The project has been going on for 16 years and is about finding musicians willing to take their own traditions and cultures and create new musical languages, Man said. The program has a lot of educational components and includes dedicated musicians from places like India, China, America and many others.

After playing others’ compositions for so many years, Man decided to try her hand at composition. Man wants the songs she played to tell her personal experience.

“I’ve been playing the instrument for so long, it’s sort of a like a part me, so naturally I wanted to speak my own language,” Man said. “I wanted to express myself, so I started composing.”

In Man’s hands, the pipa is multifaceted. It produces an accumulation of memorable tunes that will pair off with the music of the Shanghai Quartet tonight.

“Pipa can produce all kinds of sounds,” Man said. “It can be very beautiful, quiet, and elegant but can be very dramatic. That’s what I love about it.”

MUSIC

Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet

When: 8 p.m. today

Where: Englert, 221 E. Washington

Admission: $10-$33.50