Exploring the structure of our evolving global society, including roles of the sexes, concepts of justice and law, and the balance of opposing forces of nature, The Epic Project: Madmen | Heroines | Bards weaves together prominent symbols, metaphors, and traditional ideals from many of the worlds oldest Epics - from cultures as diverse as Africa, America, Azerbaijan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Taiwan, and Tibet...
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This three-day commission featured three international envoys who made their US debuts, including Rufat Hasanov and Gulare Mikayil Qizi Zeynalova of The Hasanov Ensemble, Wang Xin Xin and Wei Po Nien of The Xin Xin Nanguan Ensemble, and Zainidin Imanaliev, Talantaaly Bakchiev, Aizada Kasabolotova, Nurbek Serkebaev, and Kutmanaaly Sultanbekov of The Zainidin Imanaliev Kyrgyz Folk Ensemble.
Locally, we will honor the epic stories of three Bay Area masters, including North Indian tabla master Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Chinese guzheng master Liu Wei Shan, and South Indian Carnatic music master Anuradha Sridhar, and highlight Tibetan epic & ritual singer Yogini Jangchup Palmo; Azeri kamancha master Imamyar Hasanov; Chinese percussion virtuoso Wang Wei, Orff master teachers Doug Goodkin, Sofia Lopez-Ibor, James Harding. “The Epic Project” will be based on traditional Epic story telling through songs and new commissioned compositions and collaborations by five international music composers: Swapan Chaudhuri (North Indian), Imamyar Hasanov (Azeri), Liu Weishan (China), Anuradha Sridhar (South Indian), and Wang Xin Xin (Taiwanese).
Besides showcasing masters, “The Epic Project” will also integrate the music of youth virtuosi from Kyrgyzstan and the Festival’s own International Music Youth Orchestra, along with 10 youth winners from “The Epic Project Youth Visual Arts Competition” (open to all San Francisco Unified School District students K-12), whose winning visual artwork will be projected onto the stage as part of our three day world premiere concerts. This year, the International Music Youth Orchestra consists of members from the following Bay Area youth ensembles, including the Ali Akbar Collage of Music Youth Tabla Ensemble, South Indian Youth Ensemble of the Trinity Center for Music, The San Francisco School Orff Ensemble, San Francisco Guzheng Society Youth Ensemble, Tibetan School of Northern California Youth Ensemble, and the Kyrgyz Jany-Tilek Village Youth Ensemble.
Photo Credits: (top to bottom) Rehearsal Video: SF World Music Festival; Wang Xinxin: Wang Xinxin Nanguan; Imamyar Hasanov: Jim Block; School Show Flyer.
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