Flowing Through Tempe: Water, History, and Music

A lecture and recital with violinist Yixuan Lai

Water has shaped Tempe’s landscape, history, and community for centuries. Through live violin performance, storytelling, and visual images, this interactive lecture-recital explores how rivers and water have inspired music across cultures—from the Salt River and the Hohokam canal system to European classical music and the Chinese folk melody The Stream Flows. Designed for audiences of all musical backgrounds, the program invites participants to discover new ways of listening while connecting music with local history and the natural world.