As a composer and guqin performer, I am a co-artistic director, along with Korean piri master gamin, of Pan Project, a modern East Asian improvisation ensemble.
A global music project rooted in East Asian traditions, PAN Project (pan 판, Korean for ‘a place to gather’) brings music productions to the international stage that stretch across cultures and invites audiences into an exhilarating world of blended traditional and cutting edge music.
Pan Project's first self-titled album was released on Neuma Records in 2021.
"An ease of synthesis between the ancient and modern is apparent ....marrying the traditional and avant-garde with sensitivity and panache'"
~ Songlines
"This cross cultural experience unites improvisation with experimental ideas, effectively putting an entirely new spin on world music."
~ Take Effect
BORDERLESS FLOWS
Pan Project's 2nd album 'Borderless Flows' will be released on Neuma Record in January 2024. This album is an outgrowth of my SSHRC funded Sept. 2022 conference and festival at the University of Alberta titled Borderless Flows: Improvisations Across Asia, Africa and Beyond. In addition to East Asian traditions, the album will feature collaborations with performing artists from across the Asian continent.
Pan Project's History
First initiated by Jeff Roberts and gamin as an improvisation project in Seoul, Korea in 2015, Pan Project ensemble developed into quintet in 2016 at a residency in Avaloch Farm, NH with five founding members representing Chinese, Korean and Japanese traditions. With the development of an intercultural language for improvisation rooted in East Asian folk melody, along with the development of a multi-media platform, PAN Project embarked on a North American Tour in 2016-17, presenting concerts and educational programs at locations including Dartmouth College, Brandeis University, University of Alberta and Hartford University. Recent and upcoming events include performances in the Canada, US, Taiwan and Korea.
Pan Project's Vision and Mission
PAN Project creates an engaging and dynamic world of intercultural dialogue through collaborative projects where music intesects with dance, theatre, visual arts and technology to create an experience that can both educate and invigorate audiences with a sense of global togetherness through art.