Abigail Washburn & Wu Fei

Abigail Washburn‘s and Wu Fei‘s unique performances weave together the threads of two traditions. Wu Fei’s background in Chinese classical, folk and opera, as well as free improvisation, combines with Abigail’s background in Chinese traditional song, American bluegrass and traditional Appalachian folk music. A singing, songwriting, Nashville-based clawhammer banjo player, Abigail Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before. Washburn speaks Chinese and has profound connections to the culture and people of China. She is a two-time Grammy nominee and, with her husband Bela Fleck, won the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. Wu Fei, a native of Beijing and a current Nashville resident, is a master of the guzheng or zheng, a 21-string Chinese zither. Wu plays the zheng beautifully in the instrument’s vernacular – a musical language which is 2,000 to 3,000 years old – and has collaborated with many artists of different disciplines and genres ranging from Washburn to avant-garde composer John Zorn, Fred Frith, and more. Together, this banjo-guzheng duo sing and play a selection of songs rooted in traditional Appalachian and Chinese music. Fees: $42 – $67