19 September 2025
QiQi Lu: Taking the Chinese guzheng from tranquil tradition to riotous revelation
What happens when an ancient guzheng bumps into a jazz pianist, trips over a rocking percussionist and falls into the Chinese Museum? This is the question being posed by double bassist, guzheng artist and AYO Youth Council member QiQi Lu.
After a sold-out debut and a 2024 Melbourne Fringe Award nomination, QiQi is bringing the “bold, groovy and gloriously unpredictable” sounds of the 21-string guzheng – an ancient Chinese zither known for its flowing, harp-like sound — paired with jazz piano and percussion back to Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Catch this bold, cross-cultural jazz trio when QiQi’s show, Elysian Blues, returns to the festival, but this year to the Chinese Museum in the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown.
Hear guzheng artist QiQi perform on two guzhengs, switching between them throughout the set — sometimes even mid-song — transforming the guzheng from tranquil tradition to riotous, rhythm-driven revelation.
Created and led by QiQi, the show reunites co-composer and jazz pianist Darby Lee with fiery percussionist Alexander Meagher for one day of wild improvisation, charming humour, and soul-stirring musical storytelling – all set to an original, cross-genre score.
“You could say Elysian Blues is the most ‘me’ thing I’ve ever made — it’s raw, playful, gutsy, and gleefully smashes every stereotype about guzheng music,” says QiQi.
“After one too many people told me ‘your instrument is perfect to fall asleep to’ and ‘you can’t play that, it’s too modern for your instrument’, Elysian Blues was born! It bursts the genre bubble. It’s modern, it’s fun, it’ll get you moving, and it’s definitely the opposite of a sleeping aid. Yes, the guzheng can be very calming and beautiful, but is that all? Trust me, it’s not. Come see for yourself – prepare to be enraptured!”
From new originals to reworked audience favourites, the trio crafts a bold new musical dialect — one where guzheng becomes a jazz instrument, keys fly off in a flurry of virtuosity, the drum-kit swings and snaps beneath it all, and the spontaneous banter makes the audience part of the show.
As QiQi says, this is a genre-breaking, jazz fusion session, a cultural melting pot, an invitation to forget all the “rules” of music making, and a chance to discover something unique and unprecedented.