Erica Dee Mah and Christopher Tse, alongside some special guests, will be performing an intimate evening of music and poetry to celebrate the release of Erica’s latest EP, Paper Wealth, and Christopher’s poetry book A Song for the Paper Children.
Erica Dee Mah is a singer-songwriter and contemporary guzheng player based in Whitehorse, Yukon. In 2022, she released The Sargasso Season, an original collection of songs written on the traditional 21-stringed Chinese zither.
The album is an exploration of sounds and possibilities on the versatile instrument, and seeks out a place for the guzheng in Canadian folk-roots music. Exclaim! Magazine named her one of the “must-hear” emerging artists in Canada, and she was featured on CBC Music alongside artists like the Polaris Music Prize finalists, Pantayo, who are incorporating Asian heritage into their music. Erica often performs with her husband, Darcy McCord, a classically trained cellist, and together they create a unique orchestral folk sound.
Paper Wealth is Erica Dee Mah’s second offering of original guzheng music and was released in May 2024. Incorporating many traditional sounds and techniques on the Chinese zither, “Paper Wealth” is a vibrant and layered collection of songs that celebrates Chinese-Canadian cultural heritage.
Paper Wealth is available via Bandcamp, and major streaming platforms at ericamah.com
Christopher Tse is an educator and award-winning writer based in Whitehorse, Yukon. He placed second at both the 2011 Poetry Slam World Cup and 2016 Rio International Poetry Slam, and continues to miss the top of the podium in most areas of his life.
He has shared the stage with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Shane Koyczan, and Mustafa the Poet, and his work has appeared on stages, radio, and graffiti walls worldwide. He teaches social work at the University of Victoria. A Song for the Paper Children is Christopher’s first book.
The poem was written to commemorate the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and was performed by Christopher Tse in the Senate of Canada on 23 June 2023. It was published in May 2024 with Plumleaf Press.
A Song for the Paper Children is available via Plumpleaf Press.
Social Media:
@ericadeemah
@tselikec
