Playing a dynamic role in the Canadian music scene, Lan Tung is an erhu performer, composer, producer, and administrator. Originally from Taiwan, she incorporates Chinese music with contemporary expressions in her works. At the same time, an intensive interest in music outside her tradition has been a major drive in her artistic explorations. Lan is the leader of the JUNO nominated Orchid Ensemble, and she performs with Birds of Paradox, Tandava, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre..., among many other projects. She has toured extensively in North America, working with composers, musicians, dancers, visual and media artists of various cultural backgrounds.
Since moving to Canada in 1994, Lan has premiered numerous contemporary compositions, including chamber, solo, orchestral and electro-acoustic works, by Canadian composers John Oliver, Hope Lee, Moshe Denburg, Mark Armanini, Jin Zhang, Janet Danielson, Barry Truax, Neil Weisensel, Paul Plimley, Yawen V. Wang, Farshid Samandari, Michael Vincent, and Grace Lee. In 2010, she performed the erhu concerto Heartland by Mark Armanini as the soloist with the Symphony Nova Scotia, at the opening concert of the annual Canadian New Music Network conference.
Her fascination for creative improvisation has driven her to perform with a number of Vancouver’s most innovative improvisers. In 2008, she formed the trio Birds of Paradox with Ron Samworth and Neelamjit Dhillon to explore the fusion of composition and improvisation. With the support of the BC Arts Council, Lan has traveled to Switzerland to study graphic scores and improvisation with Barry Guy in 2009, to Amsterdam to study and perform with improviser and contemporary violinist Mary Oliver. During her travles in Europe, she also improvised and/or performed with Magpie Music & Dance Company, Xu Feng Xia,...etc. Lan has been participating at the Vancouver Creative Music Institute (2007-2009), where she has studied and performed with Francois Houle (Canada), Han Bennink (Holland), John Butcher, Evan Parker and Barry Guy (UK)…etc.
Lan is active in a number of cross-cultural projects. In Egypt, she joined qanoun player Hossan Shaker and his band Rahala in concerts. In Canada, she has collaborated with Persian santur player Alan Kushan, Hindustani sitar player James Hamilton, Carnatic singer Vidyasagar Vankayala, Vietnamese group Khac Chi Ensemble, Klezmer woodwind player Mike Braverman, African drummer Mandido Morris, Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre, Uzume Taiko, and Celtic band Mad Pudding. She has appeared on festival stages as a guest with the Tuvan ensemble Huun Hurr Tu, UK’s premiere African/World Music band Baka Beyond, and Canadian folk legend Bill Bourne.
Lan performs with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra and currently serves as its vice president. Since 2003, Lan has been performing with Tandava, whose 2005 self-titled debut CD was included on Global Rhythm Magzine's CD Sampler, reaching over 120,000 readers. To further expand the horizon on the erhu, Lan has been studying with Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath in Bombay since 2004, and she has studied with Egyptian violinist Dr. Alfred Gamil in Cairo in 2005. As the winner of BC Festival of the Arts' Award of Excellence, Lan's role in music is directly related to the rich cultural diversity in Vancouver.
In 1997, Lan founded the Orchid Ensemble, with which she acts as the artistic director, producing annual concerts, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council. With a unique instrumentation of the erhu, zheng and percussion, including the western concert marimba, the ensemble combines traditions from China and beyong, creating a distinct new sound. Lan's fresh visions have taken the ensemble to collaborate with composers, musicians, dancers, media artists, and calligraphers from different cultures in innovative programming.
Birds of Paradox
at 2008 Vancouver Jazz Festival photo: Laurence Svirchev
Tandava in concert 2009 at the Chan Centre
photo: Nenad Stevanovic
In 1997, Lan founded the Orchid Ensemble, with which she acts as the artistic director, producing annual concerts, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council. With a unique instrumentation of the erhu, zheng and percussion, including the western concert marimba, the ensemble combines traditions from China and beyong, creating a distinct new sound. Lan's fresh visions have taken the ensemble to collaborate with composers, musicians, dancers, media artists, and calligraphers from different cultures in innovative programming.
As a composer, the various influences come together in Lan’s works. She uses traditional melodies as bridges to connect between Asian and western ears. She experiments with contradictions by taking culturally specific materials outside their context and fusing them with other genres. Incorporating improvisation with Chinese tradition, she explores new territory to discover fresh sounds on the traditional instrument.
Lan at 2005 JUNO Awards, Winnipeg, Canada
Lan has been playing the erhu for more than twenty years. In Taiwan, she received her training under Chen-Ming Huang (founder of the Chai Found Music Workshop), Su-Feng Chen (concert master of Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra), and then with Chun-Tung Lee when she entered the Chinese Cultural University to major on the erhu. Lan has won numerous first prizes in national music competitions in Taiwan and was a member of the Taipei Chinese Youth Orchestra. Lan has also studied with Ng K. B. (China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble) in Canada, American Chinese virtuoso Jebing Chen in the US, and the principal erhu player of the China Radio Orchestra Fun Ming Zhang in China.
Tung gives close to one hundred performances and presentations internationally every year, including music festivals, community concerts, school demonstrations, lectures, and university/college residencies. US appearances included Kennedy Center for the Arts and the Smithsonian Institution, Detroit Institute of the Arts and at Bena Roya Hall for the Seattle Symphony Society. National performances included Ottawa’s Canada Day Celebrations, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto Street Fest, The Music Gallery, Royal Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Jazz, Folk and Children’s festivals, National Arts Gallery, National Library, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa Bluefest, Halifax’s JazzEast, Sunfest, Montreal’s Centre Pierre Peladeau and Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur.
In 1999, Lan received a special award from the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society for facilitating cultural exchanges in Canada through music. Lan founded the first Chinese Music program for young people in 1998, and she teaches in both English and Chinese.
Lan with Huun Huur Tu (Tuva), Ottawa Bluesfest. photo: Peter Weiser
Lan performed with the Chinese Orchestra at
her elementary school, 1984.
Lan at Junior High School, 1988
Education
Vancouver Creative Music Institute, 2007, 2008, 2009
Al Mozaico Flamenco Dance Academy, 2005-
Bachelor of Music Therapy, Capilano College, 1997-2000
Music Transfer Program, Capilano College, 1995-1997
Chinese Music Program, School of Music, Chinese Cultural University, Taiwan, 1992-1994
Private Studies
Graphic scores & improvisation - with composer/bassist Barry Guy in Switzerland, 2009
Improvisation - with violinist Mary Oliver in Amsterdam, NL, 2008
Hindustani classical music - with violinist Kala Ramnath in Bombay, India and California, US, since Dec 2004;
Egyptian music & maqam - with violinist Dr. Alfred Gamil in Cairo, Egypt, 2005
Erhu studies –
with Zhang Fun Min, Beijing, China, 2002
with Jebing Chen, San Francisco, USA, 1999
with Ng K-B, Vancouver, Canada, 1994-1996
with Lee Chun Tung, Chinese Cultural University, 1992-1993
with Chen Su-Feng, Taipei, Taiwan, 1990-1992
with Chen-Ming Huang, Taipei, Taiwan, 1989-1990
Vocal studies –
with Joseph Shore, 2004
at Capilano College,1994-1996
with Gou Yue Zhu, 1986-1988
Teaching
Eric Hamber Secondary School, Vancouver, 2000
Jamieson Elementary School, Vancouver, 1998-1999
Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre, 1996
Chinese Ensemble of Taipei Medical College, 1993-1994
The Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, 1993-1994
