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‘Waterloo native shares ‘his love of Chinese music § By Conor McCarrrey For the Chronicle he recent July 1 festiviâ€" Tlies are proof of the diversity and volume of different cultures in Canada. A great example of this fusion of cultures occured in Ottawa, where Canadian fiddleâ€"player Jeremy Moyer collaborated with Greek singer George Sapounidis and his band, playing Chinese and Greek folk songs. The outdoor event occured at the Canada and The World Pavilion at Rideau Falls Park, in front of a modâ€" estly sized, but appreciative crowd. The band played severâ€" al styles of music and perâ€" formed on a variety of instruâ€" ments. Although it was a cold night, the crowd was warmed by Taiwanese folk songs and ballads from the island of Crete. Waterlooâ€"born Moyer also appeared recently at the Kâ€"W Multicultural _ festival _ in Victoria Park, accompanied by students from Mainland China _ studying â€" at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid â€" Laurier University. These students, Peiâ€"Yi Niu and Xiaoxiang Zeng, will also accompany Moyer at an event named ‘A Taste of China‘ at Kitchener City Hall July 12 at 7 Moyer spent several years in Mainland China, Taiwan and New York‘s Chinatown, learning Chinese music. In January, he moved back to Canada, and settled in Montreal, where he devotes his time to composing original instrumental music. As well as performing with Sapounidis, he also performs in Ottawa and Montreal on Chinese twoâ€" string fiddles with percussion group J‘tam, and world music ensemble Galitcha. Moyer, speaking on the OJ8 phone from Montreal, is conâ€" tent with the relaxed, open atmosphere in the Quebec city, saying, "It‘s very different from most places in Canada, like, say in Ontario. 1 was always curious about the place, and knew it had a great music scene. I‘ve only been here about four or five months and I‘ve made some great conâ€" tacts â€" it was the right place to come." The 30â€"yearâ€"old musician says "it was sort of by acciâ€" dent" that he became interestâ€" ed in Chinese music and culâ€" ture. He originally went to Taiwan on a church exchange program when he was 19, as an assistant teacher at a Waterloo‘s Jeremy Moyer will perform at A Taste of China. ARTS FOCUS school for blind and mentally handicapped children. He lived there for a year, then madg it to the mainland in 1993, where he studied the Mandarin Chinese language for a year. After coming back to Canada to finish a degree course, Moyer then went back to Taiwan. He remembers it as "a time of a lot of going back and forth". He originally took formal lessons on the Erhu, a stanâ€" dard Chinese twoâ€"stringed fidâ€" dle, when he first went to Taiwan. The last few times Moyer went back, he was drawn towards the living Chinese folk music traditions and played the coconut shell fiddle with the then 78â€"yearâ€" old fiddler Zhang Shiâ€"Dong. He has fond memories of the time. "We‘d sit around in the afternoon under a tree, drinkâ€" ing tea. He‘d teach me a lot of ancient songs that have been passed down through the Chinese oral tradition, and then I‘d learn them by memoâ€" ry. I guess I was inspired by this relaxed way of playing, but then I moved to New York and took up more formal lessons again, really sitting down to practise the instrument more seriously." At the age of 19, the trip to Taiwan was the first time Moyer had been out of Canada, and the people made a lasting impression on him. "The difference in culture, along with the people who were warm and friendly defiâ€" nitely made me feel welcome," he said. When in New York City (1998â€"2001), Moyer played the Erhu professionally with the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. He played Erhu and Gachu (Cantonese â€" highâ€" pitched fiddle) at community events, and was the lead coconut shell fiddle accompaâ€" nist in lectures on Taiwanese Folk Opera. "New York is so great, everything‘s going on there. It doesn‘t matter what you‘re interested in, in that place.â€" somebody‘s doing it, and you can bet that someâ€" body‘s doing it really well," he There is always a sense of pride for members of any nation when people of differâ€" ent nationalities show arf~ interest in their popular culâ€" ture and traditions. One examâ€" ple is St Patrick‘s day, when every year, the Irish daily newspapers proudly splash front page photos of parades Continued on page 14 Valerie Tennant produces bird sculptures inspired by nature and primitive art. Using beaverâ€"chewed sticks and other types of ‘shaped wood, combined with manufactured materials as copper wire, nails and hinges, Tennent constructs freeâ€"standing and wallâ€" hung sculptures. Harbinger Gallery presents a group "folk art" exhibit through July 28. Featured will be artists Howard Jasper, Don Preston, Jeanâ€" Pierre Schoss, Don Thompson and Valerie Tennant. Folk art is a special way of interpreting the world around us. Folk artists tell their own story in a very direct and often unsophisticatâ€" ed manner. The work is often fanciful, bold and rudimentary in interpretation. It evokes humour even though the subject may be seriâ€" ous, or simply records the artist‘s world. The artists in this feature are frofir diverse backgrounds and are varied in their interpreâ€" tations of folk art. Jasper started making art after retiring from a senior partner position with Emst and Young. His carved birds fall within the tradiâ€" tions of 18th and 19th century shorebirds. His work is full of wit based heavily on puns. Preston is a carver of fish decoys â€" the third generation in his family practising this funcâ€" tioning art form. Preston‘s fish are stippled and lined with bright primary colours and bave an instant and powerful appeal. Preston‘s decoys are sought by collectors, not only for their fishâ€"catching abilities, but for their artistic value. Schoss is a multiâ€"media artist using steel as a primary medium. He cuts apart and recreâ€" ates the shapes from scraps to design and orchestrate his ideas. His end result is a rustic, multiâ€"coloured, threeâ€"dimensional form. Schoss‘ work has a primitive and very balanced nature full of whimsy and humour. = Thompson, a retired plumber, sells his art work internationally. Carved from cedar and painted in bright latex paint, many strange and wonderful characters parade endlessly from Thompson‘s fertile imagination. Celebrities such as Penny Marshall, Goldie Hawn and Danny DeVito collect his work. Harbinger Gallery presents group folk art exhibit 234 King St. S., Waterioo (corner of King St. & Union St.) www.goligerstravel.com 741â€"0770