In this opening episode, host James Hewison sits down with composer and guzheng virtuoso Mindy Meng Wang for an intimate conversation about bridging cultures, genres, and personal experiences through music.

Episode Highlights

Mindy traces her artistic roots to childhood in Lanzhou, where the guzheng became both structured discipline and creative doorway. She discusses the early pressure to conform to classical expectations, and how relocating to the UK and Australia allowed her to reimagine the instrument as a platform for experimentation and cross-cultural storytelling.

Tradition meets innovation: Mindy reveals how she unlearned rigidities to rediscover emotional truth in her playing. Collaborations with electronic musicians, jazz ensembles, and experimental producers became catalysts for reinvention—expressing Chinese musical heritage without being confined by it.

The personal journey: From creative burnout and touring demands to motherhood, grief, and isolation, Mindy shares how life's transitions have shaped her sound. She explores the vulnerability required to blend cultures authentically and the guzheng's power to hold complex emotions that words cannot capture.

Cultural responsibility: Mindy reflects on representing tradition while pushing boundaries, her hope to broaden audiences' understanding of contemporary Asian art, and the evolving landscape for migrant artists in Australia.

A rich, lyrical conversation—part biography, part cultural meditation, part creative diary—offering insight into Mindy Meng Wang's artistic journey and the emotional terrain behind her unique sound.