Lunch with Silk Road Music's Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault



I had lunch today with Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault - the husband-wife core of the music ensemble Silk Road Music, led by Qiu Xia.  They have recently returned from Easter concerts on Hornby Island, and Vancouvr Island + an extended tour of Toronto area schools in Ontario from January to February.  For a rave review of their recent Toronto concert appearance click here.
http://www.thelivemusicreport.com/clubs/hughSroom/
silkRoad/silkRoadJan05.html


They are a wonderful couple, wonderful human beings, with good hearts that I truly feel comfortable with.  It has been very nice getting to know this musically exciting multicultural couple.  And it was made extra special by the presence of Andre's daughter Anita, and her friend Janie.  

Qiu Xia was born in Xi'an China and came to Canada in 1985.  Andre is French Canadian (originally descended from Acadians from Nova Scotia) and came to Vancouver in the late 1970's.  They have now been part of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy family since Fall 2003 when Silk Road Music was featured in the CBC TV performance special.  Qiu Xia and Andre also performed with me for the 2004 GHFC dinners at Flamingo Restaurant and then this year for the First Night Vancouver at Library Square.

Today we remarked how strange it was to actually be able to talk and be relaxed.  Usually we only see each other when we are doing shows, or having meetings...  But there is a very nice mutual respect and friendship that I sense with this couple.  And today, we discussed some recent discoveries about the mutual connections in our lives that were uncovered when I phoned my cousin Wayne on Hornby Island to ask if it was possible for a visit over Easter Weekend.  Wayne replied that the rooms were full because Silk Road Music was staying up at with them at Hornby Island, and that he had known both Qui Xia and Andre for many years.   I explained to Andre how the family connections worked, and we discovered that he had actually met Wayne's younger brother who had studied classical guitar at the Paris Sorbonne many years before.  Another connection is that they know Wayne's older brother Joe Wai, the architect who helped design the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, where they have performed many times, and where Qiu Xia has set up the "Enchanted Evenings" summer music performances.

Andre showed me their music practice room, with guitar and pipa all set to go.  I was amazed at how many flutes that Andre had.  He told me that he even has a chinese "shung" or reed flute.  Qiu Xia was very excited when I told her that my paternal grandmother had been a trained Chinese court musician playing a chinese auto harp.  She told me the Chinese name and showed me a similar instrument that she has hanging on her wall which is more like a Chinese koto.  Qiu Xia was also fascinated to learn that I am 5th generation Canadian of Chinese descent.  Having been in Canada now for almost 20 years, she is fascinated about the transition of becoming Canadian and would like to learn more to see how other Chinese have become Canadianized over the years and over generations.  Perhaps I will invite Qiu Xia and Andre to one of my family dinners so they can meet all my cousins, aunts and uncles and see how almost everybody is now marrying non-Chinese.