Beyond Baroque IV: Lute Legends at The Frye Museum
$35 ($25 community access, $20 Frye member)
- Ronnie Malley, oud
- Lucas Harris, lute
- Wen Zhao, pipa
- August "Gus" Denhard, host
Early Music Seattle and the Frye Art Museum are thrilled to present "Lute Legends: Trade, Conquest, and the Lute," a trio of players who bring the music of Europe, the Arab world, and Asia into close conversation. This special concert will take place in the Frye Salon, activating the floor-to-ceiling installation of the museum's founding-era collection and honoring the rich history of cross-disciplinary engagement initially established by Charles and Emma Frye, a legacy that continues to inspire the museum today.
Join Artistic Director Gus Denhard for an evening of music and conversation exploring the remarkable journey of the lute. Revered across diverse cultural traditions, the lute has long symbolized the transformative power of music. Through live performances, the trio will highlight the unique musical traditions of their respective cultures, draw connections to the artwork in the Frye Salon, and debut original compositions created as a collaborative ensemble. Their dedication to artistic collaboration conveys a powerful message of unity and shared humanity.
About Lute Legends Collective
The Lute Legends Collective is a performing association of musicians who represent ancient plucked-string traditions.
Each member of our collective is a committed carrier of an ancient musical tradition, whether it be the virtuosic modal improvisation of the Middle East, the intricate polyphony of the European Renaissance and Baroque, or the picturesque musical depiction of nature from China. Though instruments such as the oud, lute, and pipa each have evolved a distinct set of techniques and sounds, we delight in recognizing that most of our instruments are long-lost cousins. The Lute Legends Collective is our way of reuniting them onstage in a cross-traditional musical experiment for the twenty-first century.
The Collective's directors are lutenist Lucas Harris and pipa player Wen Zhao, who met in 2004 performing together for the Tafelmusik Four Seasons Mosaic project, and shortly afterwards performed a duo recital. They have been friends and collaborators ever since, performing together as a duo in Canada as well as China. In 2008 they released the duo CD Lute Legends: Ancient Airs From East and West.
In 2012, this duo expanded with the addition of the Middle-Eastern oud, the "grandfather" of the lute and pipa, and thus was born the Lute Legends Ensemble. This trio played in various Toronto venues and was an invited guest of Vancouver Early Music and other festivals.
Enter the Lute Legends Collective in 2022, a model that opens up exciting new possibilities. We have now expanded our membership to include more plucked instrument traditions, including those of the Indian sarod and the African kora. A flexible format allows the group to perform in various sizes and combinations according to the needs of particular projects.
https://lutelegends.com/