Back to Back Zithers
Back to Back Zithers are four distinguished solo composer-performers who enjoy sharing each other's traditions and skills in the process of making a new Australian music. Since 1988 they have combines their original ideas with musical thoughts from Vietnam, West Java, mediaeval France and Italy in new compositions which transcend the boundaries of East and West.
Kari is a musician and visual artist. She spent several years living a Sundanese life in West Java studying music and dance. She has performed in several multicultural ensembles and explored many musical landscapes. She has also played a key role in facilitating multicultural music in Australia. Her work has taken her from Indonesia to Greece, from the deserts of Australia to sails on the seas.
Kim Thi Le is a virtuoso in Vietnamese classical and village music. Apart from being a very active performer, she taught at the Conservatoire of Music in Vietnam for several years. In 1984 she received the National Gold Medal for Excellence in Dan Tranh Performance. She has performed widely in Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe.
Le Tuan Hung is a composer, performer and writer in music and arts. Apart from performing Vietnamese classical and village music, he has also been exploring music and sound sourced from other cultures for inspirations to create new soundscapes. He has performed widely in Asia, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. He is the author of various publications on Vietnamese performing arts and is regarded as an international authority in Vietnamese musicology.
Ros Bandt is a composer, performer and sound sculptor. Her original music and sound sculptures have been widely appreciated in Europe, America and Australasia. She performs with the Early Music group La Romanesca as well as creating her own acoustic and electronic compositions which are recorded on the Move label. She was awarded the Don Banks fellowship for composition in 1991 and an Australian Research Fellowship in 1992.
Back to Back Zithers is featured on the following titles
Quivering String
Four composer-performers of Back to Back Zithers weave Vietnamese, Sundanese and mediaeval European strands into new Australian chamber music for zithers, flutes, voice and found sound.
Back to Back Zithers also appears on
Footsteps
The sound of feet on the earth’s surface is a reminder of how location shapes our lives. Ros Bandt’s journey of place, from Western Australia and Florida to suburban Melbourne, is unlike anything else on record.
Members of Back to Back Zithers
Kari
Kari is a musician and visual artist. She has performed in several multicultural ensembles and explored many musical landscapes. She has also played a key role in facilitating multicultural music in Australia.
Lê Thị Kim
Lê Thị Kim is a Vietnamese đàn tranh virtuoso, singer and composer in classical and village traditions. She has performed widely in Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe.
Lê Tuấn Hùng
Lê Tuấn Hùng is a composer, performer and author, specialising in Vietnamese music and the experimental music of contemporary Australia. He has written widely on Vietnamese performing arts and is regarded as an international authority in Vietnamese musicology.
Ros Bandt
Ros Bandt is an Australian composer, performer and sound artist whose work joins ancient instruments, environmental sound and live electronics in spatial music, installation and sound sculpture.