Madame XD

Xiao Dong Wei BiographyXiao Dong Wei was born in a small coal-mining town in the northeastern Heilonjiang Province, near the Russian and Mongolian borders.Xiao Dong began studying the erhu (a 2-stringed Chinese violin) with her father at the age of five and after four years of intense practicing, the two spent a year traveling throughout China where Xiao Dong was afforded many opportunities to play for the top musicians of the time. Buoyed with confidence, Xiao Dong took an entrance exam for the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music and was one of only two erhu players accepted to the school that year. At age eleven, Xiao Dong made the 1200 mile move to Beijing, where she studied for the next ten years under Professor’s Zhang Shao, Feng Zhihao and Mr. Zhag Yuming, graduating the Conservatory as a ‘Master’ of the erhu and a minor in piano. During this time, se also became proficient at many other instruments including the guzheng (a 21-string Chinese zither), pipa (lute), cello and countless others.Upon graduating from the Conservatory, Xiao Dong freelanced throughout China and Japan, eventually performing for a four year stint with the China Motion Picture Orchestra.After a brief hiatus from music, Xiao Dong released a critically acclaimed classical cd in 2004. “Erhu Solo by Xiao Dong Wei” on the China Shenzhen label, was recorded with the Central National Orchestra of China, which included many of her friends and classmates from the Conservatory. Reviews of this cd include, “Amazing artistry, breath taking technique, XD plays with passion and grace”…”This disc is absolutely stunning--beautiful, skillful playing, and the compositions are amazing.”Xiao Dong also began traveling to the USA, being invited to play her erhu in Las Vegas, Phoenix and in LA. In 2005, she moved to Detroit, Michigan and continued to become exposed to new styles and genres of music. This led to the formation of a curious instrumental trio called ‘Wei’, which consisted of a bluegrass guitarist, a progressive/jazz mandolin player and Xiao Dong on her erhu. The group’s sound has been described as ‘Alt-Chamber Music’ and ‘Chinese Bluegrass’ and combined each member’s background to form a truly unique sound. This trio evolved into a quartet called “XD WEI”, which includes Paul Ossy (White Stripes) on mandolin, Djeto Juncaj (Immigrant Suns) on guitars and Leo Gillis playing bass. This band’s sound is even more progressive than ‘Wei’, with Paul and Leo writing the bulk of the songs and everyone helping out with the arrangements. Xiao Dong sings for the first time with this band in English and Mandarin. Besides their original songs, the band adapts their sound to many traditional Chinese folk tunes, giving them a fresh and often completely unique rendering. The band released their debut cd called “String Theory”, also garnering excellent reviews…”seemingly incongruent sounds converge in a gorgeous display of string virtuosity and Xiao Dong, along with her talented band mates, create a masterful album that encompasses many world sounds, mixing into a rich broth of musical ambrosia” writes a reviewer from Girlistic Magazine. XD WEI continues to play live and have started laying down tracks for a follow-up cd.On the classical side, Xiao Dong was a guest soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, playing the erhu part for Emmy-award winning composer Laura Karpman’s piece called “A Monkey’s Tale”. She has also teamed up with world renowned Japanese born pianist, Yuki Mack. The two play a flawless set of Asian, as well as Western classical music and plan to release a full cd together in 2008.And as promised, Xiao Dong unveiled her latest musical project called “Madame XD”, on Dec. 22, 2007. This is a collaboration between her and Ken Hottmann, who co-writes the music while Xiao Dong handles all the lyrics. Madame XD is currently a 5-piece live, consisting of 2 guitars, bass, drums and of course the erhu, guzheng, pipa and a few other surprises. This band has also started recording a full cd and will release a limited edition vinyl 45 in June 2008 and a complete cd by the end of the summer.Look for Xiao Dong to be performing in the area this coming spring and summer seasons.For bookings, contact Xiao Dong directly through this page or at www.xiaodongwei.com.