St Pat's Day celebration sees Asian pianist take center stage

A celebration of Irish music by Western musicians and gifted Chinese pianist Yifei Xu took place in the heart of New York City on Friday in celebration of St Patrick's Day on March 17.

The event called the St. Patrick's Day Spectacular XXIII was held for the benefit of the FBI Agents Scholarship Fund at 77 WABC radio station.

Featuring Deni Bonet on violin, Sean Seymour on guitar and Yifei Xu on piano, the artists had the luck of the Irish as they delighted the audience with Irish folk music. Bonet played on a striking blue violin while Seymour played guitar and sang.

Xu, based in New York ,showcased her incredible talent on the piano with several renditions of Irish folk songs including 'Oh Danny Boy, the Drunken Sailor and Peg O' My heart. She then did Red is the Rose and Be Thou My Vision.

Xu told China Daily: "I've always been in love with Irish music, I've heard a lot of Irish folk songs by Irish folk singers, so, today I'll be playing a lot of the piano arrangements of the Irish folk songs."

Tom O' Connor, an American attorney with Irish roots, tapped his feet to the music while he sat in the audience and watched Xu's performance of Red is the Rose.

O' Connor told China Daily: "This is truly lovely. I've never heard Irish songs played with just a piano before."

Xu, who specializes in a multitude of music traditions including traditional, baroque, classical and romantic repertoires, used her unique style to demonstrate her knowledge of Irish music.

During her performance, she acknowledged the work of John Field, a famous Irish composer from Dublin and played three of his compositions. She also did a piece arranged by British pop singer Ed Sheeran.

Xu believes that honoring her own culture and Irish culture is a positive mix.