Sparrow Quartet finds its wings
Washburn first went to China in 1996 when she was the first Asian Studies major at Colorado College and she was offered a reduced-cost trip to help satisfy her "intrigue" about Chinese culture. It wasn't a positive experience, however, as the people she met tended to treat her as a tourist, not as someone interested in serious academic study.
"I was frustrated about how I was perceived very narrowly there," she said. "Not being able to speak the language, we resorted to hand gestures, and anyone who could speak English only wanted to practice their English."
But rather than discourage her study, she only became more determined.
"I took it as a challenge — a lifelong challenge — to find meaning and depth in the world's largest culture," she said.
So after hearing a recording of Doc Watson playing the banjo and realizing that the banjo was about as American as you can get, she learned to play, even though she had no prior musical experience other than singing in a school choir.
In 2004, she had abandoned her plan of studying Chinese law and decided to return as a musician, to be an ambassador of America culture as well as a student of the Chinese.
Once the Nashville circles heard of her trip, she found many volunteers to go with her the next time, and when that time came, the available musicians included banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, who produced her CD "Song of the Travelling Daughter," cellist Brandon Sollee, who played on the CD, and famed Nashville fiddler Casey Driessen, billing themselves as the Sparrow Quartet.
The group put together an EP following that tour of China and expanded the tour to the United States, playing a unique blend of Americana, bluegrass and Chinese musical styles.
With the second CD, produced and released to coincide with a tour of China during the 2008 Olympics, Washburn decided to expand the scope of the quartet to honor the skills of the players.
"The idea was to value the heart of the songs while also allowing people to use their capacity to the fullest as musicians," she said.
- how to go
- WHAT: The Sparrow Quartet
- WHERE: Parrish Auditorium, Miami University Hamilton Campus
- WHEN: 7 and 9:30 p.m.
- COST: Adult $24 adults, $22 seniors, $15 students/children
- MORE INFO: (513) 529-2232; tickets.muohio.edu
