Abstract
In this lecture-recital, Dr. Adilia Yip will discuss how the experience of learning the West African balafon has enlightened her artistic practice as a Western classical marimbist. In 2012 and 2013 she has traveled to Mali and Burkina Faso to study with Youssouf Keita and Kassoum Keita, the griots of village Konsankuy of Bobo and Bamana peoples. Due to the music’s oral (aural-visual) tradition, the balafon’s polyrhythm and melodic materials are embodied in forms of bimanual (two-hand) coordination patterns rather than symbolic representation; therefore, body movement has become the vehicle of communication and sensory perception. Yip will also perform some of the commissioned works created for this project by composers Michiel De Malsche, Cornelia Zambila, Juan Albarracin, Cheong Li and Enric Riu.
Biography
Born in Hong Kong, Dr. Adilia Yip is a marimbist/percussionist and artistic researcher based in Belgium. She has obtained the Doctor of arts title from University of Antwerp and Royal Conservatoire Antwerp in autumn 2018, and a docARTES alumnus of Orpheus Institute, Gent. She graduated in Masters in percussion performance and postgraduate marimba soloist at Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, and Masters in chamber music at Lemmensinstituut Leuven. She was employed as research assistant (2015-16) and project worker (2012-16) at Royal Conservatoire Antwerp. Active as chamber and solo musician, she has founded the “Duo Antwerp” for bass clarinet and marimba, and “The Bracket Percussion” for multidisciplinary projects. Her interests in diverse music cultures have led to collaborations with traditional African, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican musicians, and her projects were showcased in international music festivals, such as 33rd Festival de Musica de Canarias, Belgian Music Days Leuven and aNOther Festival Vienna. She has also given a number of lecture recitals and paper presentations at international artistic research conferences, such as EPARM artistic research conferences and DIP Doctors in Performance research festivals.
