Min Xiao-Fen () is a Chinese-American

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

player, vocalist, and composer known for her work in traditional Chinese music,

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

, and jazz.

Life

Min Xiao-Fen studied with her father, Min Jiqian (闵季骞), a music professor at

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...

and a student of the

erhu The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-s ...

master

Liu Tianhua Liu Tianhua (; 1895–1932) was a Chinese musician and composer best known for his innovative work for the ''erhu''. Liu's students, such as Jiang Fengzhi and Chen Zhenduo, continued to contribute to the development of the ''erhu''. He was the ...

. Her eldest sister,

Min Huifen Min Huifen (; 1945 – 12 May 2014) was a performer of the erhu, a traditional Chinese bowed string instrument, and a composer. She was considered the undisputed master of the instrument, nicknamed the "Queen of Erhu". She composed some of her o ...

, was nicknamed the "Queen of Erhu." Her brother, Min Lekang (闵乐康), is a national first-class conductor and music professor. Min performed as a pipa soloist for the Nanjing National Music Orchestra from 1980 to 1992. She emigrated to the United States in 1992, first settling in San Francisco, California.Michael Heffley
"Interview with Min Xiao-Fen"
(2009) She has worked with numerous contemporary composers, including

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...

Zhou Long Zhou Long (; born July 8, 1953) is a Chinese American composer. He won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Biography Zhou Long was born in Beijing, China. Born into an artistic family, he began studying piano from an early age. Due to the artist ...

Carl Stone Carl Stone (born Carl Joseph Stone, February 10, 1953) is an American composer, primarily working in the field of live electronic music. His works have been performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the ...

, Anthony De Ritis,

Marc Battier Marc Battier (born 21 December 1947) is a French composer and musicologist. Battier was born in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France. He is known as a co-founder with Leigh Landy and Daniel Teruggi of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Network, which establ ...

, and

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

. She has worked with the jazz saxophonist

Jane Ira Bloom Jane Ira Bloom (born January 12, 1955) is an American jazz soprano saxophonist and composer. Early years Bloom was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Joel and Evelyn Bloom. She began as a pianist and drummer, later switching to the alto saxophon ...

and in 2021 with Jazz guitarist

Rez Abbasi Rez Abbasi (born August 27, 1965) is a Pakistan-born American jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer based in New York City. Biography Abbasi was born in Karachi, Pakistan. When he was four, his family moved to Los Angeles, and at eleven h ...

on her album White Lotus. Min worked with

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

on the song "I See Who You Are" on Björk's album '' Volta'', released on May 7, 2007. Min lives in New York.

Horowitz, Joseph Joseph Horowitz (born 1948 in New York City) is an American cultural historian whose seven books mainly deal with the institutional history of classical music in the United States. As a producer of concerts, he has played a pioneering role in ...

"The Musical Odyssey of Min Xiao-Fen"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', March 3, 2005. Accessed June 18, 2009. "Ms. Min moved to New York in 1996. (She now lives in Forest Hills.)" She is also a founder of Blue Pipa, Inc.

Discography

*''Mao, Monk and Me'' (2017, Blue Pipa) *''Dim Sum'' (2012, Blue Pipa) *''

The Art of Improvisation ''The Art of Improvisation'' is a live album by violinist / composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in October 2004 at an AACM concert in New York City, and was released by Mutable Music in 2005. On the album, Jenkins is joined by the members of ...

'' (2005, Mutable Music) with Leroy Jenkins's Driftwood *''Min Xiao-Fen with Six Composers'' (1998, Avant) *''Viper – Derek Bailey and Min Xiao-Fen'' (1998, Avant) *''Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night'' (1997, Asphodel) *''The Moon Rising'' (1996, Cala) *''Socket'' (Amulet)

References

External links

* *
Min Xiao-Fen interview
from ''Global Rhythm'' magazine, August 2008.
Min Xiao-Fen radio program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Min, Xiaofen 21st-century classical composers Chinese women singers Women classical composers Living people People from Forest Hills, Queens Pipa players Place of birth missing (living people) Singers from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people)