Esplanade Foreword February: Kindred Spirits - Music & Chinese Poetry

Poetry and music both play important roles in Chinese history, language and culture. Experience the beauty and fluidity of both forms in this lyrical encounter of music and literature.

About Marco Zhang Yao Tian (Music producer, songwriter and singer)
Marco enjoys travelling to learn about other music cultures and have music exchanges with other musicians. He is representative of the younger generation of artists who compose and perform Nanyang poems and music, and has given multiple performances at the 2017 Chinese Poetry Year.

Marco is also the guitarist and vocalist of GIMA band, which is the first Mongolian morin khuur and guitar fusion band in South East Asia. GIMA blends ancient folk cultures with a modern style and creates new soundscapes with creative arrangements to interpret world music. In Oct 2017, GIMA launched their debut album, Mongolian Fusion.

About Amanda Huang Qian (Songwriter and singer)
Influenced by her family, Amanda was obsessed with traditional Beijing opera and underwent opera training at a young age. Subsequently she moved on to receive professional training in Chinese folk singing. Due to work, she was in Spain for a couple of years and travelled around Europe, where she thoroughly experienced the fusion and collision of eastern and western cultures. With a strong determination and passion for music, she joined her husband Marco Zhang to promote Nanyang poetry and music.