Vietnamese multi-instrumentalist and composer Van-Anh Vo plays rarely heard zithers, drums, and other striking instruments from her native land, unfolding their sonic possibilities in new and intriguing ways. In collaboration with Kronos Quartet, Vo will be debuting her arrangements (the traditional "Green River Delta") and compositions ("All Clear," composed with David Harrington) as part of Kronos' 40th anniversary celebration at Lincoln Center Out of Doors tonight, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Vo has made a name for herself as the leading ambassador and international innovator for the unsung and diverse instrumental traditions of Vietnam. From a family of musicians, she trained at Hanoi's National Academy of Music and won several prominent national awards, playing with major ensembles on the ?àn Tranh (16-string zither) as well as founding her own traditional music group.

Based in the US since 2001, Vo has contributed to documentaries, played the London Olympics, and collaborated with leading contemporary ensembles, including Kronos. Her debut album of original compositions will appear in Septemer 2013 on Innova.

For more information about the concert, visit http://www.lcoutofdoors.org

Van-Anh Vo says, "I was born right after the war ended. I remember the suffering of the people around me who went through it. In 'All Clear,' I want the audience to feel the suffering of women and children who bear the brunt of war, and of the many innocent people who are caught in the middle. My perspective is that of someone who was not on any side.

David Harrington encouraged me to weave together the distinctive sounds of Vietnamese language, culture, and history. Together, we explored Vietnamese instruments and musical traditions. I searched for many sounds to use in 'All Clear' and I had the chance to travel to many provinces in Vietnam to record the sound and thoughts of local people.

Through my music, I hope to share a thousand years of Viet cultural history, which was overshadowed by the war. My instruments - the ?àn Tranh, ?àn B?u, k'ni, and artillery gongs - represent the Viet cultural legacy. These instruments may have been drowned out by the sound of war but they survive. "The sound at the end of 'All Clear' is a bridge between the past and present. The past already happened, and there were wounds in our hearts that have healed over time. The past now has taken a new form that reminds us of how painful those wounds were."

Photo by: Jake Blakesberg

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