Who we are

The Friends of the Guqin was an initiative by Joan M. Vigo and Cesc Fortuny, later joined by David Sánchez. This group connected Casa Ásia with John Thompson, resulting in the fantastic outcome of having the American musician as the performer in the spring concert series held in Barcelona in 2005.

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John Thompson shows Joan M.Vigo a basic fingering techique (2005)

In 2005, Joan contacted Professor Fredric Lieberman, the author of a thesis focused on the Meian Qin Pu, which he would later publish as a translation from Chinese to English in book form. Joan proposed translating it from English to Spanish, and Lieberman agreed.

The result was well received by Lieberman himself, as well as by other figures such as François Picard, John Thompson, Roberto Garfias, Josep Martí, and the Chinese consul in Barcelona at that time, Mr. Wang Shixiong.

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Robert Garfias and Josep Martí at Barcelona (2006)

Months later, Joan contacted the Asiatic Society of Japan (ASJ) ─ he became its webmaster from February 2007 to February 2011. Early in 2011, he requested permission to translate an essay by Robert H. van Gulik published in 1938 in their periodical Transactions of ASJ. Once again, with the corresponding permission granted, the resulting translation was published later in 2011 and it was very well received.

Due to family and professional circumstances, the members of the original group gradually distanced themselves, much to their regret, until the group had no active members left in 2012. Twelve years later, Joan resumes the initiative, hoping to gather both old and new companions.

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