Dr. Alan Thrasher

Biography

Alan Thrasher began his study of East Asian music in the late 1970s, training in Baroque music performance notably with LaNoue Davenport in New York. His interests led him to explore questions of ornamentation in recorder and flute playing as well as in harpsichord music. Thrasher has conducted extensive ethnomusicological fieldwork in Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, and northern Thailand, focusing primarily on Chinese instrumental music and performance, including the dizi, xiao flutes, pipa lute, and qin zither. In 1984, he served as the coordinator and contributor for the Chinese musical instrument entries in the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. His research has been published in various journals including Asian Music and Ethnomusicology, addressing topics such as Confucian ritual music and traditional heterophonic practices. Notably, he has authored and edited five books, with recent titles including 'Sizhu Instrumental Music of South China: Ethos, Theory and Practice' and 'Qupai in Chinese Music: Melodic Models and Form Practice'. Thrasher remains active in Baroque and Chinese music research while teaching part-time at the University of British Columbia.

Research Interests