Rachel Xi Zhang

Fidellica -- Yu Oda


Fidellica is a newly written work for solo marimba by my dear friend Yu Oda.


Fidellica draws on existing musical material from works by Renaissance composer John Dowland.

It focuses on the threshold between the "human face" of the original song and its mechanical mutation, sustaining the tension where the two states merge.


Premiered at Amsterdam Marimba Weekend

het Orgelpark, Amsterdam

March 2026

Rachel spent most of her youth studying piano in Shenzhen, China. She acquired a taste for unconventional pitch and timbre by beating on random objects through her rebellious youth, and finds her soul in peace when touching a marimba. The vibration of her sound can be described as rooted to classical music from an earlier era, yet engraved with the characteristics derived from countless collaborations with composers of her generation.

Work

Rachel is an Encore Mallets artist and endorses Marimba One marimbas.






As third of 

Machine à trois







As an educator at the

Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Listen

with Machine à trois

Works by Franz von Chossy, Kirke Karja, Luise Volkmann, Michel Reis, and myslef Rachel xi Zhang.

Works by Maurice Ravel arranged by JVP2 for marimba and vibraphone.