Sometimes travelling far away can bring a new perspective to something close to home. That's exactly what happened to Jeremy Moyer.

Moyer, 30, was always interested in music, but could never quite focus on what he would do with it. A trip to New York three years ago changed that. While living in the city, Moyer studied Cantonese music and further developed his interest in playing Chinese instruments. That's when he realized his strength as a musician lies in something he's had all along - the ability to create versatile music.

"I've always listened to different types of music while growing up and travelling," says Moyer: "It's not natural for me to sit down and write a country song. It would sound contrived because of my background."

Moyer is a Waterloo native, but has lived in New York city, Taiwan, and China. Throughout his travels, he's absorbed Chinese history, culture, and music. Today Moyer is combining his knowledge of traditional Chinese music with that of different origins. He's using his skills in playing Chinese fiddles and combining it with Greek, African and Punjabi-based music. "I've realized that different types of music are all related," says Moyer, who lives in Montreal. "So I've decided to develp my technique as a versatile player."

Moyer is back in Waterloo Region this week for a gig at Kitchener City Hall where he'll be playing Cantonese and Taiwanese music at an event called A Taste of China. Accompanying him are local musicians Pei-Yi Niu, Xiao-Xiang Zeng, and Brian Orr. For Moyer, the event is a great opportunity to show Waterloo Region how he has developed as a musician.

Moyer's education is a reflection of his interest in travelling, language and music. He studied French and Music at the University of Waterloo. While attending university, he travelled to Taiwan and China on exchange programs. Throughout his stay, he immersed himself in the culture and language. He also developed an interest in traditional Chinese music. Moyer fuelled this interest by learning how to play Chinese musical instruments such as the Erhu, a standard Chinese two-stringed fiddle. And in 1996, he learned Taiwanese folk songs, opera pieces and religious music by practising with a local fiddler.

A year later, Moyer moved back to Canada and recorded a CD called A Discovery of Chinese Folk Tunes. The album features the Taiwanese Coconut Shell Fiddle. "With a Coconut Shell Fiddle, the range is very limited. You can only play within one octave, but the character can't really be duplicated by any other instrument," says Moyer. "It's unique and has a different flavour."

Despite his interest in music, Moyer wasn't exactly sure what career path he would take until a trip to New York City in 1998. That's when he became totally immersed in Chinese music and culture again. Moyer performed at community events in New York's Chinatown and played with professional performers such as the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. This total immersion in Chinese music once again, convinced Moyer to commit to making music full-time.

Moyer's experience playing funk, rock and classical music, combined with his ability to sing and play different instruments such as guitar, piano and Chinese instruments, have given this local musician a diverse background. But despite Moyer's ability to perform all types of music, he particularly enjoys working with Chinese fiddles because of their unique sound.

"My focus on music is to learn the character of a particular style," says Moyer. "I think that's why some musicians like playing with me, because I learn the character of their music and listen to their style."

After tomorrow's performance at Kitchener City Hall, Moyer will be playing at the Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Music in Cambridge on Aug. 4. "It's heartwarming that K-W organizations are welcoming me to play at different events," says Moyer. "I feel like I'm back at home."