Out of the Blue

Dong Xi

A world music duo focusing on presenting a new experience collaboration with individual unique taste in a “controlled improvisation” setting.

“Even though they are both essentially percussionists, their genres are initially worlds apart. This unique and stimulating collaboration between Chao Tian, playing the Chinese dulcimer and  Tom Teasley on all things percussive,  was a match which grew out of the Artist in Residence program at Strathmore Music Center. It has been thrilling to watch the partnership between these two outstanding musicians flourish!”-- Betty Scott, Director of Artist in Residence Program at Strathmore Music Center

When Chinese dulcimer musician Chao Tian met with world percussionist Tom Teasley, they formed a duo named “Dong Xi” (“East and West”) and the name represents the ethnicity origin of the duo, also it takes partial meaning from the Chinese idiom which roughly translates to “clamor in the East, attack in the West” to describe the playful musical dialogues they created.

This is one of their signatures in their music and represents their unique and interesting ways to create music dialogue. They use the subtleties of Chinese dulcimer to blend seamlessly with the world music percussion to create an elaborate and amazing duo improvisation.

From a different perspective, “Dong Xi” also represent a mature attitude for culture diplomacy, different music and culture constructing conversations based on mutual understanding and respect, exchanging knowledge, experience, and ideology, creating new forms of musical expression through dialogue. “The fusion of traditional music from the East with rhythm from the rest of the world” is a goal they are striving to achieve and to accomplish.

They has performed at many renowned venues and musical events in DMV area, include Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton), Mansion at Strathmore, Millennium Stage at Kennedy Center, TEDx Tysons 2019, and JazzAlive at University of District of Columbia.

The duo’s name, Dong Xi, (meaning “East - West”) represents the ethnic origin of the duo, but it also takes partial meaning from the Chinese idiom, which roughly translates to, “clamor in the East, attack in the West,” to describe the playful musical dialogues created by the duo. Dong Xi uses the subtleties of Chinese dulcimer, blended seamlessly with world music percussion, to create an elaborate and amazing duo improvisation. This is their musical signature and represents their unique and interesting way of creating a musical dialogue.

Even though they are both essentially percussionists, their genres are initially worlds apart. This unique and stimulating collaboration between Chao Tian, playing the Chinese dulcimer and Tom Teasley on all things percussive, was a match which grew out of the Artist in Residence program at Strathmore Music Center. It has been thrilling to watch the partnership between these two outstanding musicians flourish!

-- Betty Scott, Director of Artist in Residence Programs at Strathmore Music Center