Ran Wang & Annette Bauer

CHINA,  CANADA

Musicians Ran Wang (guzheng) and Annette Bauer (sarode, recorders, duduk, xun) traverse the Silk Road from east to west. Their musical journey invites the audience along a geographical route from China to Italy via India, also weaving together different historical time periods by presenting music from the ancient Han dynasty (200BC-9AD) to music from the emerging European Renaissance in early 15th century Italy. The program also imagines and draws inspirations from different physical and emotional landscapes that might be encountered by a timeless traveler – from witnessing a deeply moving beauty in unfamiliar landscapes, to adventurous daring in setting out on a long journey, to the loneliness a traveler can experience far away from home. Above all, their musical journey is a conversation between the sounds of their instruments, and the manifold vibrations of their strings, giving room for improvisations and an exploration of the unknown.

Ran Wang | China | Guzheng

Ran Wang, born in China and based in Montreal, has been passionately studying music performance for over 10 years, with a focus on playing the Guzheng instrument. She studied Instrument Performance at the Conservatoire Sichuan in China, which provided her with extensive knowledge about the history of Asian music and valuable insights into the world of music. In addition to her music studies, she is also engaged in the field of interactive digital art development. She is passionate about creating sound artworks and designing sound effects for video games by incorporating traditional music elements, constantly exploring new possibilities and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved through exploring the intersection of technology and creativity.

Annette Bauer | Canada | flute & sarod

Annette Bauer, recorder player and multi-instrumentalist, hails from Germany and studied in Basel, Switzerland, where she obtained a diploma in Medieval and Renaissance music from the Schola Cantorum in 2001. She also earned a Master’s degree in Music from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2004. In 2001, Annette studied North Indian classical music on the sarode with Ali Akbar Khan. Since then, she has performed and recorded with various early music ensembles in the United States, and was part of Cirque du Soleil’s TOTEM show from 2012 to 2020. Since 2020, Annette has been living in Montreal, where she teaches music and collaborates with local artists. She has also directed recorder workshops for the Early Music Society of San Francisco and was appointed as the musical director of the North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) in 2024.