Delegates
the world music professionals directoryLars Fredriksson
Born 16 October 1951 in Finspång, Sweden where he started in early childhood to communicate with crickets and other Orthoptera. This special skill was brought to exellence during the student years in Beijing, in the late seventies. Where he was a postgraduate research student at Beijing University, and when, while dodging classes in Chinese opera history, he came in contact with several elderly gentlemen, whose main preoccupation is was to nurture the old Chinese traditions of keeping singing crickets as pets. The above photo is from this period, and yes, that is an elephant hanging from a string around his neck. For a more recent likeness of the composer consult this link.
In later years, from the nineties and onwards he specializes in breeding crickets, doing Live Cricket Ensemble installations. and performing with Live & Recorded Chinese Crickets of many various species.
The last 35 years Acting Director of the Far Eastern Library of Sweden. Just returned from a three months trip to The Yellow Mountains in Anhui making a documentary on Chinese Cricket catchers and breeders. Making new ambient recordings in the forests, fields and hilltops of the crickets in Southern Anhui and in Anguo county of Hebei.
