Adilia Yip is a marimbist/percussionist who researched the West African sounds and musical traditions of the balafon. A balafon is an ethnic xylophone that is regarded as the origin of the marimba, with calabashes hung under the wooden slats.
She traveled to Mali and Burkina Faso where she learned to play the balafon and then tried to translate the balafon music to her own instrument. Inspired by the balafon’s complex polyrhythm, advanced coordination techniques and divergent learning approach, such cross-cultural experience broadened Adilia's views in music and life, and offered valuable artistic insights to enrich her original marimba performance skills.
Finally, she invited (classical) composers to write pieces for the marimba, using West-African influences. The result is a new and exotic addition to the marimba music repertoire.
In this ceremony, Adilia will discuss her artistic experience of switching between the two musical cultures, followed by the concert programme “In the Heat of the Moment”, created by five contemporary composers exclusively for this research project.
Come and listen to these works during her PhD defence.
PRACTICAL
Location: Witte zaal, Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, Desguinlei 15, 2018 Antwerp
Schedule:
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM Presentation on the research project
6:30 PM - 7:00 PM Sandwich break
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Concert
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Questions from the jury and audience
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM Reception & laudatio
Free entrance
It's best to reserve your seat for this evening: tinyurl.com/yaqlu9o3
This PhD defence is in partnership with ARIA.