Sponsored by The Grapevine
Thursday 7:00 pm, Manning Memorial Chapel | Friday 11:30 am, Wolfville Memorial Library | Saturday 12:45 pm, Festival Theatre
Jing Xia is a professional guzheng artist and ethnomusicologist based in Newfoundland, Canada. Born and raised in Hunan, China, Xia began her musical journey at the age of six, mastering the guzheng and eventually earning degrees in Music Performance (B.A.), Arts Management (M.A.), and Ethnomusicology (Ph.D.). Her recent accolades include the 2023 East Coast Music Award for “Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year” and the 2023 MusicNL Award for “Album of the Year” for her solo album The Numinous Journey. She was also named the 2023 MusicNL “Solo Artist of the Year” and 2022 MusicNL “Rising Star of the Year”.
Xia’s music transcends boundaries, spanning genres from traditional Chinese and folk music to experimental fusion and beyond. Xia has collaborated with notable artists and groups, including guzheng virtuoso Mei Han, the trad-rock band Shanneyganock, and the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra. In 2018, she premiered The Congruent Place with the Regina-based composer Clinton Ackerman at the Sound Symposium XIX, and in 2023, she premiered Jubilant Entanglements, a guzheng concerto by well-known composer Andrew Staniland, with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. Xia has been active in the music scenes in North America and performed in diverse musical events, including the Newfoundland Folk Festival, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Festival des Traditions du monde de Sherbrooke, and Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
A trailblazer in pushing the boundaries of Chinese music, Xia founded the Light Wind Ensemble, a pioneer Chinese ensemble in Newfoundland, and XIA-3, a fusion experimental band that blends Chinese classics with post-rock influences. Her musical groups have performed in diverse musical venues, including the Lawnya Vawnya Festival (NL), SappyFest (NB), and DuneFest (St. Pierre & Miquelon).
As a scholar and educator, Xia has spent over a decade teaching and lecturing across the globe. She is a sought-after speaker and has led workshops and performances at major universities and international conferences. Her research focuses on the diasporic experience of professional Chinese instrumentalists and their intercultural and transnational music-making in North America. Beyond her academic and performance careers, Xia has worked in leading cultural organizations, including the East Coast Music Association (Halifax), Currently Arts Society (Vancouver), the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place (St. John’s), the Center for Chinese Music and Culture (Murfreesboro, the U.S.), and the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (Washington D.C.).
Yokai Suite – Xia Jing & Michel Marang
