Wu Fei's Music Daily

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today, I recorded another piece for valiha and voice—an improvisation. In the past, I’ve talked a bit about the valiha’s history: it’s a tube zither from Madagascar, made from a species of local bamboo, and is considered the country’s national instrument. Recently, I came across a theory that the valiha may have been “inherited from King David,” as part of a l...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed this three-voice guzheng canon. I was inspired by the memory when my ferry passed by the Waitematā Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand ten days ago. These giant metal crane arms looked like three singers to me. The ocean is their concert hall. The reflection is their song. The word canon in a contrapuntal compositional technique where a melody (the "lea...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, How have you been? I’ve just returned home to the U.S. after visiting my family in New Zealand. Thank you for your patience and understanding during my absence — I needed that time to focus on being with my loved ones. The vast ocean has never made our reunions easy, so this trip meant the world to me. On the day I left Auckland, it was my parent-in-laws’ 60th...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, How are you doing, my dear subscribers? Thank you all for your patience and support! I hope you all had a restful and fun weekend! I’ve returned from playing at the Big Ears Music Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. I had a wonderful time presenting two different concerts during the festival. The photo above is from my first concert — Wu Fei and Shanir Blumenkra...

Friends who are coming to Big Ears this year, I’m playing two concerts at Big Ears Festival 2026 Knoxville, TN • March 27 Friday 5:30PM St. John Cathedral WU FEI + SHANIR EZRA BLUMENKRANZ (oud/gimbri /double bass) • March 28 Saturday 5:45PM First Presbyterian Sanctuary WU FEI’S MOON HUNTER (SOLO) Some day passes are still available though weekend passes are sold out. Passes: bigearsfestival.org Wu...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Three days ago, after the tornado passed through Nashville, the temperature dropped below zero again. Our crabapple tree had just started blossoming before it hit. I was worried whether the blossoms would be blown off completely by the extreme winds. Then, when the temperature dropped, I worried again that the blossoms would not come out as they did last year...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed and recorded this multi-track guzheng piece today. Last night, I stayed on the Nashville Severe Weather YouTube channel for two hours, watching their live stream of a tornado watch. It’s stormy weather once more in Nashville. A few years ago, my family and I hid in our tornado shelter closet in the middle of the night with helmets on. It was scary....

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I am super excited to share with you that I am returning to the Big Ears Festival 2026, Knoxville, Tennessee! All the early-bird four-day passes have been sold out. However, there are still other types of passes are available. More pass info is here. * Concert 1: March 27, 5:30pm at St. John Cathedral Wu Fei and Shanir Blumenkranz Wu Fei and Shanir Ezra Blumen...

Friends, If you’re feeling stressed out or tired, I hope this guzheng night song improvisation brings you a moment of calm, even if only temporary. I recorded it yesterday, thinking of the setar (photo below), a traditional Iranian string instrument. The two setars belong to Reza Filsoofi , an Iranian American musician. He recently joined me on stage during my Lunar New Year concert in Nashville,...

Happy new year of the horse! 马年吉祥！ It’s taken a village to make my new year concert happen on February 15th. It was a full house! I want to thank: Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music: * Professors : Isi Miranda, Robbie Fry, Nathan Cheung, Ryan Middagh Guest artists: * Reza Filsoofi, Larissa Maestro, Heather Moulder, Erik Shapnack, Nate Spratford, Miles Buchmann, Lucas Giordano Communi...

Good morning, afternoon, evening, I am floored by the letterpress design by Filipino American artist Heather Moulder. She made the concert poster for my upcoming concert this Sunday. Today’s four-track guzheng piece was inspired by her work (photo below). Her website is: https://www.lordymercy.com/ On Sunday, Heather will be onsite in the lobby of Ingram Hall to give out posters, and she’ll have a...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I had a rehearsal with talented friends Reza Filsoofi (Persian setar) & Larissa Maestro (cello) both Nashville based. Little Tree is composed by me. It’s my first time to do this trio version. I’m so excited! So many trees fell and broke down during the recent ice storm in Nashville. It feels like so many of our beloved friends are forever gone…Join us in the...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today, I finally resumed my daily practice and recording after the two-week disruption from Nashville’s ice storm. This solo guzheng piece is inspired by two pictures of the same pair of pine trees in my front yard—one taken during the storm, the trees broken and shrouded in ice and snow, and another from today, sunny and restored to normal. The air is full of...

Friends in Nashville, My concert Moon Hunter will be held at Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music on Sunday, February 15th, at 3 p.m. Admission is free, thanks to support from the Tennessee Arts Commission. The Ingram Hall lobby will open at 2:00 p.m. for a Lunar New Year celebration featuring cultural exhibits and activity booths—including Chinese Drumming by the Chinese Art...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today, I had a wonderful meeting with a dear friend and musicologist, Professor Isidoira Miranda of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and the production team at Ingram Hall to prepare for my upcoming concert on February 15th. I also got to watch the jazz students’ rehearsal led by Professor Ryan Middagh, the director of Jazz Studies at Blair. They...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this Chinese folk song today. It’s called “Thirty-mile Village” (三十里铺) from Shaanxi province—a well-known love song in China. I’ve known it since elementary school. My parents used to sing it a lot at home, and my father would change the lyrics to sound funny. We laughed so much whenever everyone sang together in our house. I’ve always thought t...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this two-track piece for prepared guzheng today, thinking of my hike next to a frozen creek this morning. I tapped my fingers on the ice: some parts sounded like a deep drum, others like gongs. I can imagine playing this piece with other string players, percussionists, and electronic musicians at Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheater under the Milky Way—...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I have returned to my quiet Nashville home from a whirlwind and productive trip to New York City, where I gave a showcase performance two days ago. My guzheng made me feel grounded even from the 25th floor up in the air during my stay in the heart of Times Square (photo below). I got to see old friends and made new friends during the APAP conference for the pe...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s solo guzheng piece is a tribute to my first solfège and ear training teacher—Professor Sun Hong (孙虹). She passed away yesterday in Beijing at the age of 90. When I was five, I began attending the weekend solfège and ear training program at the China Conservatory of Music. I was placed in Professor Sun’s class, where I remained for the next six years,...

Happy New Year! I am super excited to kick off 2026 showcasing my music at APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals ) in New York City on Jan 10th , Saturday evening. If you are in Nashville , I will be giving a concert in Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music on February 15 , Sunday as part of the Music Unbound Artist Residency to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Horse! Concert...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I just read a post on social media before I recorded this three-track guzheng piece today: “Asked the guy on the airplane if he’d switch seats since I was flying with my family. He refused. So I had to sit with my family.” -buechlersteven on Thread. Hope this song brings you calmness from all the stress you’ve been through during the holiday season. Wu Fei 吴...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today is the last day of Hanukkah. All the candles are lit up like in the photo below. Wishing you all a peaceful and healthy year. Peace and health are the foundation of a good life. Hope this three-track guzheng night song takes you to a peaceful place tonight. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subs...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, First of all, thank you all for another year of supporting my music! It’s not the end of the year yet, but I just want to share my gratitude to you - old listeners from the beginning of my Substack (started in May 2020) and new paid supporters today. Sometimes when we feel powerless towards the world’s craziness, music can be medicine for our heart. I hope my...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I’ve missed you all. Last week’s concert at Bellevue College was wonderful! I’m especially grateful for the hospitality of Professor Naeim Rahmani, who leads the college’s International Guitar Series. Before I arrived, he arranged for a beautiful guzheng from the Seattle Guzheng Studio to be delivered to my hotel room so I could have plenty of time to warm up....

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, In today’s solo guzheng improvisation, I focused on using the traditional bending technique with my left hand. Bending the strings on the left side of the bridges is a signature sound in much of the classic guzheng repertoire. When these bent pitches form melodies, they sounds like many local Chinese dialects to my ears. There are old stories held within the r...