"I think I try my best to present the music essence instead of worry about my technical or my um, presentation, am I doing good, I want to just express how I feel about this instrument, because the feeling is more important. Ok, I think every year I watch all the musical competition. The judge at the last, they will make the comment on all the competition, we are looking for the feeling not how good the technical part is. Because the technical part you can um, achieve. But the uh, feeling is how you feel… how you want to present the music to your audience."
Born in Taiwan, Weichih Lee began learning the Chinese zither at age seven. She first learned Chinese JianPu musical notation from her mother before studying the Chinese zither with professor Teidon Wei. Since then, she has played the Chinese zither for over 40 years, winning the Taipei Musical Contest Youth Championship in 1971 and performing her first solo concert at the Taipei Musical Hall in 1981. Lee settled in Cleaveland after moving to the United States in 1985. Here, she is an active member of the musical community. She has performed for WVIZ Public Television, the Cleaveland Asian Festival, the Palace Theater, PM Magazine, and various museums and schools. With her music, Lee strives for artistic excellence while sharing the tradition of Chinese classical music with her audiences. In 2002, she was awarded the Ohio Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship. Through this program, Lee has shared her knowledge of the Chinese zither with younger generations, including her current apprenctice, Anna Luu, who has been studying with the master since she was eight years old.
Weichih Lee's Traditions episode.
Contents of the Collection
- Family photos with Lee as a child
- Various photos of Lee playing guzheng at different events in Taiwan
- Live performances