Yi-Chieh Jay Lai

Yi-Chieh 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.

Lai’s career has taken her to stages around the world, with performances in Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Germany, France, and Turkey. She has appeared at prestigious art and 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), highlights her versatility as a performer, further demonstrated through artist residencies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Rice University, and Northern Illinois University.

As an educator, Lai 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 philosophy emphasizes integrating humanistic qualities and intellectual growth with musical performance, creating a holistic learning experience for her students.

A pivotal moment in Lai’s life occurred during her time in Hawai‘i while pursuing her PhD. Immersed in the island’s culture and natural beauty, she developed a profound appreciation for a balanced lifestyle. Practices like ukulele playing, meditation, and horseback riding became integral to her routine, helping her cultivate a harmonious approach to life and work. This transformative experience continues to influence her artistic and teaching philosophy today. In addition to guzheng, Lai teaches ukulele to share the Aloha spirit—Hawaiian values of love, peace, and compassion—and promote a healthy lifestyle, encouraging participants to listen to their bodies and minds while crafting their own sounds.

Lai holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she was awarded the Graduate Degree Fellowship from the East-West Center and the Studying Abroad Scholarship from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. She earned a master’s degree in musicology from Taipei National University of the Arts and a bachelor’s degree in guzheng performance from National Taiwan University of Arts.

賴宜絜是一位來自台灣的音樂家、教育者與民族音樂學者，現居舊金山，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態度，並促進超越言語的連結與交流。

賴宜絜的音樂足跡遍及各地，包括台灣、中國、日本、韓國、美國、德國、法國和土耳其等地。她曾參與多項著名的藝術與文化節演出，包括德國聯合國教科文組織世界遺產節。她的專輯《變》獲得臺灣金曲獎最佳民族樂曲專輯提名，展現了她作為表演者的多元才能。此外，她曾於夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校、萊斯大學及北伊利諾大學擔任駐校藝術家，進一步展現其音樂造詣。

作為一名教育者，賴宜絜曾在哈佛大學、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以及泰國曼谷皇家大學等機構舉行講座。她的教學理念強調將人文素養與智識成長融入音樂表演，為學生創造全方位的學習體驗。

在夏威夷攻讀博士期間，賴宜絜的生活經歷了一個重要的轉折點。島嶼文化與自然之美讓她深刻體會到均衡生活方式的重要性。她將烏克麗麗演奏、冥想及騎馬等活動融入日常生活，幫助自己培養和諧的生活與工作方式。這段轉變的經歷至今仍影響著她的藝術與教學理念。除了古箏之外，她還教授烏克麗麗，以分享代表愛、和平和慈悲的「Aloha精神」，並提倡健康的生活方式，鼓勵參與者傾聽自己的身心，創造屬於自己的聲音。

賴宜絜擁有夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校民族音樂學博士學位，曾獲美國東西方中心研究生學位獎學金及臺灣教育部留學獎學金。她取得國立臺北藝術大學音樂學碩士學位，以及國立臺灣藝術大學古箏演奏學士學位。