Dr. Jay Lai
Guzheng Faculty
Jay Lai, a Taiwan native based in San Francisco, is a musician, educator, and ethnomusicologist passionate about bridging traditional art with contemporary life. Through her work, she inspires openness to the beauty of diverse cultures and sparks connections beyond words.
Her career has taken her to stages across Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Germany, France, and Turkey. She has performed at prestigious cultural festivals, including UNESCO’s World Heritage Festival in Germany. Her album Transformation—nominated for Best Folk Music Album at the Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan’s equivalent of the GRAMMYs)—showcases her artistic range, further exemplified through residencies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Rice University, and Northern Illinois University.
Lai has collaborated with world-renowned artists across genres, including avant-garde jazz visionary Fred Ho, taiko master Kenny Endo, pipa virtuoso Yang Jing, Grammy-nominated slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson, post-minimalist composer Mamoru Fujieda, and intercultural pioneer Hwang-Long Pan. These collaborations reflect her passion for blending tradition and innovation, creating dialogue between musical worlds and inviting audiences into cross-cultural resonance.
As an educator, she has shared her expertise at institutions such as Harvard University, MIT, California State University–East Bay, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Akademie der Künste in Berlin, University of French Polynesia, and Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand. Her teaching integrates musical performance and intellectual growth, fostering a holistic and culturally rich learning experience.
Lai began her musical journey with piano at the age of five. She earned her bachelor’s degree in guzheng performance from the National Taiwan University of Arts, a master’s in musicology from the Taipei National University of the Arts, and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She was awarded the East-West Center’s Graduate Degree Fellowship and Taiwan’s Ministry of Education Study Abroad Scholarship.
More information: http://jaylai.com
賴宜絜來自台灣，現居美國舊金山，是一位音樂家、教育者與民族音樂學者，致力於將傳統藝術融入當代生活。透過音樂，她啟發人們對多元文化之美的開放心態，並促進超越語言的連結。
她的音樂足跡遍及台灣、中國、日本、韓國、美國、德國、法國與土耳其，並受邀於多個國際藝術與文化節演出，包括德國的聯合國教科文組織世界遺產節。個人專輯《變》曾入圍金曲獎「最佳民族音樂專輯獎」，展現其多元而深厚的藝術風貌。她亦曾擔任夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校、萊斯大學與北伊利諾大學的駐校藝術家。
她曾與多位國際知名音樂家跨界合作，包括前衛爵士音樂家 Fred Ho、太鼓大師 Kenny Endo、琵琶演奏家楊靜、葛萊美提名的 slack key 吉他手 Jeff Peterson、日本後極簡主義作曲家藤枝守，以及臺灣作曲先驅潘皇龍。這些合作體現了她對傳統與創新融合的熱忱，並以音樂為橋梁，串聯不同文化與聲音，讓觀眾在表演中感受跨文化的共鳴。
在教學方面，她曾於哈佛大學、麻省理工學院、加州州立大學東灣分校、費城藝術博物館、柏林藝術學院、法屬波里尼西亞大學與泰國曼谷皇家大學等機構講學。她的教學理念融合音樂表演與智識成長，營造全人且富有文化深度的學習體驗。
賴宜絜自五歲起學習鋼琴，後於國立臺灣藝術大學獲得古箏演奏學士學位，並在國立臺北藝術大學取得音樂學碩士學位。赴美後於夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校獲得民族音樂學博士學位，期間榮獲美國東西方中心研究生學位獎學金與臺灣教育部留學獎學金。
更多資訊請參見：http://jaylai.com
Beautiful Chinese Guzheng Music: Don't You Know
Cover by Jay Lai 知否知否 | 古箏.賴宜絜