MANTAWOMAN
Yangqin, Voice
Mantawoman is the stage name of Manta Arius*, a yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer) player, singer-songwriter, and performer from San Francisco. Mantawoman combines traditional Chinese musicality and the iridescent timbre of their instrument with modern lyricism and production.
Manta trained in classical yangqin performance under Yangqin Zhao and Gangqin Zhao of Melody of China, and Huang He at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, before attending Harvard College, where they earned a BA Environmental Science and Public Policy. Manta began playing with Silkroad in their sophomore year. They feature alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Rhiannon Giddens on the track "St. James Infirmary Blues" from the Ensemble's GRAMMY Award-winning album, Sing Me Home.
In 2017, Manta won a Marshall Scholarship and moved to London, where they completed a MA Music in Development at SOAS University of London (distinction) and a MMus Sonic Arts at Goldsmiths. Manta co-founded and co-directed the London-based music collective Tangram for four years. They recorded on Ben Frost's soundtrack for Netflix's 1899 and Joel P. West's soundtrack for Marvel's SHANG CHI: Legend of the Ten Rings. On social media, Manta's playing has garnered millions of views, leading to praise from SZA and Anthony Fantano, as well as a collaboration with Caroline Polachek.
As a solo artist, Mantawoman released their debut "hypnopop" EP The Way She Makes Us Waves in 2023 and headlined the Purcell Room, LSO St Luke's, Turner Contemporary, Nottingham Contemporary, and St Martin-in-the-Fields. Mantawoman was an artist-in-residence at Southbank Centre and Britten Pears Arts, and has received grants from Jerwood Arts, Arts Council England, Royal Philharmonic Society, and Help Musicians UK.
*Manta Arius was formerly known as Reylon Yount.