“I’ve been informed by both sides, jazz, western music, Asian music, African music, all sides, because I’ve been interested in the sound of the universe, and that sound is without limit.” — Joseph Jarman

Dial up https://youtu.be/D7AXECIUMMg

— you’ll witness transcultural fusion at its most extreme: the appearance of Vietnamese musician Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ at the White House Celebration of the Lunar New Year, performing, with arresting elegance, Jimi Hendrix’s classic electric guitar solo, “Purple Haze”— but on the single-stringed Vietnamese monochord.

The instrument — an electronic update to its traditional precursor — looks and sounds beguilingly, eerily other-wordly, lying horizontal at hip level on a stand, while the performer coaxes her pitches by precise undulating right hand positions, almost as if drawing imaginary butterfly circuits in the air, as her left hand wobbles a lever controlling vibrato or wavering pitch variation.

On Friday, March 4, the artist will appear in Bowker Auditorium, performing on a collection of traditional Vietnamese instruments. The concert lines up with the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the program, titled “A Musical Odyssey,” “ . . . explores the personal and spiritual journeys of the Boat People as they abandoned their lives in a war-torn country to search for freedom in a world with an alien and unknowable future.” The musical forces, the Vietnamese equivalent of the zither, dulcimer, and monochord, along with ambient sound, spoken word, and historical objects, this new work conveys stories of human transformations that resonate for all refugees. Jonathan Bakan of the San Francisco Music Examiner states of Vo’s work: “The dramatic interest, unusual instruments and playing techniques, coupled with stellar musicianship, keen visual interest and a stage presence to die for, all contributed to its status as a masterpiece.”

I spoke recently with the gentle, lyrical-voiced musician on a call to her home in Fremont, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area.

Joseph Marcello (JM): I was watching a YouTube video of you performing for the Lunar Celebration at the White House, which seemed to be part of an Asian-oriented program?

Vân-Ánh Võ (VAV): Yes, it has been a long time that people in Washington D.C. have been trying to create a Lunar New Year celebration at the White House, and it was one of the first events at the White House for Asian-American communities.

JM: Did you have a chance to meet any of our leaders?

VAV: (Laughing) The President was here in California while I was there, but then the Chief of Staff came — but the president did send me a letter!

JM: Now, were you born here or in Vietnam?

VAV: I was born in Vietnam and I moved here after marrying my husband, about 15 years ago.

JM: And how has the United States been to you?

VAV: I really have to say, I really feel that the United States is my home country now; the amazing thing that I find that I can do whatever I want — as long as you have a wish, then you can make it happen — and people will not look at you as if you are weird or it is taboo.

JM: Is your husband American?

VAV: No, he is Vietnamese and Chinese — and an American citizen now. He came here when he was a teenager.

JM: So, being here as long as you have, you know that our country is amazingly multi-cultural.

VAV: It is, and I feel very fortunate to be in the Bay area, because it is one of the three biggest diversity areas we have in America. I can experience all the other cultures from everywhere in the world right here.

JM: Were you aware of western popular and classical music when you lived in Vietnam?

VAV: Yes. Western classical music has a heavy concentration in the International Conservatory of Music, where I came from. Everyone, regardless of their area of study, had to take music theory and history — and what is out there; we all know about Bach and Mozart and various contemporary composers.

JM: Are you able to read western musical notation as well?

VAV: Actually, I started out with western notation, and because the French were in Vietnam a long time ago, a lot of our influences are from France.

JM: So do you play western instruments as well?

VAV: Yes, I love piano myself, and, actually, the first instrument my father wanted me to play was the cello.

JM: And you play a number of Vietnamese instruments?

VAV: Yes, my first instrument is the dan-tranh, the Vietnamese zither, and in the Conservatory at the time I was there, there was a program that, if I could keep up my A-plus grades in the 8 subjects I was taking, allowed me take up a new instrument each time.

JM: How many do you play in total?

VAV: Seven.

JM: The Jimi Hendrix piece was played on a one-string instrument, which sounded electronic, which would not have been the case in the original version.

VAV: Yes. I play it harmonically, and my other hand is on the ‘whammy’ bar. It is a traditional instrument, but we use the electronic version for concerts.

JM: The instrument sounds very other-wordly, as if it’s from another universe — somewhat like a human voice, but also something not human.

VAV: Yes, exactly.

JM: Do you create your own music as well?

VAV: Yes, I have songs that I wrote that I move from one instrument to a different instrument, but also songs that I’ve dedicated to one instrument.

JM: Do you write these pieces down, or are they all in your head?

VAV: Oh, I have to write them down. But the thing is that I also learned in the traditional way of the masters, which is by ear, because the masters really didn’t follow the notation system. And by learning by ear as well, I became able to remember almost everything I play, which is very, very helpful, because I will know exactly when I need to come in and also how I can, not accompany, but compliment the other performers’ parts.

For ticket buyers, Vân-Ánh Võ will give a lecture demonstration of the Vietnamese instruments she’ll use in the perfromance at 6:30 pm in the same venue.

Reserved tickets are $15-$20 and youth (17 and under) are $10. Tickets can be purchased online at fineartscenter.com or by calling the Fine Arts Center Box Office at 413-545-2511. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.