Psychopomp Ensemble
https://www.psychopompensemble.com/

In Greek mythology, a Psychopomp is a conductor of souls.

Co-founded by pianists Chi-Wei Lo and Xiaopei Xu, Psychopomp Ensemble weaves together a diverse tapestry of traditional serious music, third stream, jazz, pop, blues, minimalist, and contemporary, creating an auditory experience that defies categorization. 

Their arrangements—some in their psychopomp mode—blend improvisation, re-composition, and unaltered portions into original works, guiding both connoisseurs and newcomers through their musical universe. The Boston Musical Intelligencer describes them as offering "new directions in pianism” and exploring the “far reaches of musical possibilities." They aspire not merely to stake a claim but to reshape the landscape, push boundaries, and redefine possibilities within the realm of two-piano as well as four-hand repertoire.

Recently, Psychopomp Ensemble appeared on The Kamerman Piano Series at the University of West Florida and at Puddingstone Events in Rhode Island. Additionally, Psychopomp’s past performance highlights include concerts presented by Chamber Music Charlestown, UCLA, the Chinese American Museum (LA), the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Scripps College, Ukraine Forward, the College Music Society, the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, the Lancaster Piano Festival, and the German Society of Pennsylvania. In 2021, Psychopomp Ensemble participated in interdisciplinary events in Los Angeles, which garnered coverage from more than a dozen media outlets, including The LA Times, NBC News, and others.

Xiaopei Xu 徐小培, pianist

Praised by The Boston Globe as “a world-class pianist,” Xiaopei Xu has captivated audiences worldwide with performances described as “spellbinding and expressive”(Boston Musical Intelligencer). She made her Boston Symphony Hall concerto debut with Boston Pops in 2018 and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Recent highlights include appearances presented by the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Harvard Musical Association, Puddingstone Festival, Foundation for the Chinese Performing Arts, The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, German Society of Pennsylvania, Lancaster International Piano Festival, Chinese American Museum(LA), Ukraine Forward, College Music Society, among others. Her concerts have been featured in The Boston Globe, Sing Tao Daily, Boston Musical Intelligencer, Lancaster New Era, and in major Chinese publications such as Shanghai Morning Post, Qilu Evening news, Music Weekly, Yanzhao Metropolis Daily, and Shanxi Evening News.

Xu is a laureate of several international competitions, including the New York International Piano Competition, Cooper International Piano Competition, Tureck International Bach Competition, Richmond Piano Competition and the Washington D.C. International Young Artist Competition. She has been featured in prominent festivals such as Pianofest in the Hamptons, PianoTexas, Banff Music Centre, Sarasota Music Festival, Russia Young Artist Festival, and the Walnut Hill Music Festival. Xu regularly gives masterclasses and lectures in China, including in Nanjing, Beijing, Qingdao, and serves on the piano faculty at the Lancaster Intentional Piano Festival in the US.

Beyond the concert stage, Xu integrates her passion for visual arts into her musical projects, creating multidisciplinary collaborations that enrich the concert experience. She has been commissioned for installations and multimedia performances. Notable projects include a combined art and concert presentation at the Germany Society of Pennsylvania, and a visual installation for The Seven Deadly Sins, an interdisciplinary concert at the New England Conservatory. Collections of her artwork have been published by Jeune Critique, the journal of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition.

Xu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University, a Master of Music from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory. She is the co-founder of Psychopomp Ensemble and an Affiliated Artist at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology.

Chi Wei Lo  駱奇偉, pianist/arranger

Chi-Wei Lo is a pianist, improviser, and arranger whose performances utilize a plethora of musical languages. As a co-founder of the Psychopomp Ensemble, Lo has continually pushed boundaries, blending interdisciplinary art forms with both traditional and avant-garde musical elements to create compelling concert experiences.

With a career spanning diverse platforms, Lo has been presented by the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, North American Medical Orchestra, The Lancaster Piano Festival, College Music Society, UCLA, Lilypad, Chamber Music Charlestown, The Harvard Musical Association, The Chinese American Museum (LA), Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, Caroga Arts Collective, New Asia Chamber Music Society, the German Society of Pennsylvania, and the Counterpoint Ensemble (Taiwan), among many others.

Lo’s dedication to his craft is evident in his diverse projects and achievements. In 2018, he was commissioned by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation (KRTC) for its 10th anniversary, resulting in the creation of his album Piano Improvisations and the issuance of a limited edition metro-card in Taiwan. His solo tours, such as The Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins, Declaration of Aesthetics, and Twelve Over Twelve, not only showcased his extraordinary musical prowess but also included benefit concerts, reflecting his belief that musicians should contribute to their communities.

In addition to his musical output, Lo is a writer, contributing reviews and interviews to the Boston Musical Intelligencer, where his observations and musical knowledge further enrich the music community. He has also served as a judge for the Lancaster International Piano Festival competition and the A. Ramón Rivera Piano Competition.

Lo holds both a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) and a Master of Music (M.M.) in piano performance from The Juilliard School. He is expected to complete his Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) at the New England Conservatory in Contemporary Musical Arts (formerly known as Contemporary Improvisation) this year. Currently, Lo is shaping the next generation of musicians as an Assistant Professor in Composition at Berklee and a Theory Instructor at the New England Conservatory.



by: Chi-Wei Lo and Xiaopei Xu

Carl Zerrahn was a German-born American flutist, conductor, and music educator who became a prominent figure in New England's musical scene during the 19th century. After moving to the United States, he settled in Boston, where he was a member of the renowned Germania Musical Society. With the group, Zerrahn performed in over 900 concerts across the United States, gaining fame and recognition while reaching more than one million listeners. The self-governing orchestra frequently opened its concerts with the overture to Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — a tradition which we are recreating tonight.

In our psychopomp spirit, we are reviving two melodies written by Zerrahn, Forget Me Not Waltz and Hungarian Mask Galop. These tunes originally survived as single-line melodies with sparse accompaniment. We have incorporated these into new textures and composed new sections inspired by the original material. The two dances will be performed without pause.

Duke Ellington's Lots O' Fingers was originally written for piano and band, showcasing Ellington’s virtuosity on the piano. In our arrangement, we transcribed the band parts onto four hands, creating new counterpoint, textures, and harmonies to achieve virtuosity for two pianists while preserving Ellington’s exciting harmonic language and melodic contour.

Laufey, the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2024, features From the Start as one of the tracks. The song delves into the complexities of unrequited love. In our arrangement, we’ve created entirely new sections inspired by Laufey’s original chords and melodies, while staying true to the essence of the tune.

For Valentine, we have kept the arrangement loyal to Laufey’s original and adapted her orchestration for four hands.

In a somber turn, Holiday’s original Don’t Explain tells the story of catching her husband coming home one night with red lipstick from another woman on his collar.

The story of William Tell is thus:

Many years ago there was a proud tyrant. His name was Gessler, and he ruled over the people. One day this tyrant set up a pole in the public square, and put his own cap on top of it; and then he gave orders that every man who came into the town should bow down before it. But there was one man, William Tell, who would not obey. When Gessler heard of this, he was very angry. He was afraid that other men would disobey as well, and that soon the whole country would rebel against him. So he made up his mind to punish William Tell William Tell was a famous hunter. Gessler knew this, and so he thought of a cruel plan to make the hunter's own skill bring him to grief. He made Tell's little boy stand up in the public square with an apple on his head; and then he had Tell shoot the apple with one of his arrows.

What if the boy should move? What if Tell’s hand should tremble? What if the arrow should not carry through?

"Will you make me kill my boy?" Said Tell.

"You must hit the apple with your one arrow. If you fail, my soldiers will kill the boy before your eyes." Replied Gessler.

Then, without another word, Tell took aim, and let the arrow fly. The boy stood firm and still. He was not afraid, for he had faith in his father's skill. The arrow whistled through the air and struck the apple fairly in the center, and carried it away. The people who saw it shouted with joy.

As Tell was turning away from the place, an arrow which he had hidden under his coat dropped to the ground.

“Hey!" cried Gessler, “what’s with this second arrow?" William Tell proudly shouted, “Tyrant, this arrow was for your heart if I had hurt my child."