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Xiang Si-hua, Rong Jun, and Qing Chang in concert

Sunday May 11, 2014 – 4:00-5:00pm, Exhibition Hall, Roundhouse

This concert presents three of Vancouver’s leading female musicians from China. Legendary zheng master Xiang Si-hua has a career spanning almost six decades. Although still actively traveling as an educator and adjudicator, this is a rare opportunity to hear her performing live.  Erhu virtuoso Rong Jun is performing in a duo with harpist Lani Krantz. Their repertoire includes original works and new arrangements written by Canadian composer Jin Zhang. Qing Chang is a versatile performer on various instruments. Her appearance at the festival will showcase her masterful ability on the sanxian, Chinese 3-string lute, a predecessor of the Japanese shamisen.

Xiang Si-hua - zheng 

Born in Shanghai, the successor of Zhejiang zheng school, Xiang was at first a pianist. In 1958, her class at the Affiliated High School of Shanghai Conservatory of Music switched major to Chinese music during a political movement. Since then, Xiang has studied with zheng masters from different schools. She graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1965. She has worked at Beijing Film Philharmonic Orchestra and China Opera, and was a faculty at China Conservatory of Music, Central Conservatory of Music, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Xiang joined China’s State Council’s special project to develop new models of the zheng in 1974.  In 1975, she studied and transformed Beijing Opera vocal styles on the zheng and made audio and video recordings, which are now kept at the library at China National Academy of Arts.

Xiang has released numerous solo albums. The two China Record albums released in 1979 are considered the classics of zheng recordings. Her EMI album, produced by music scholar Kishibe Shigeo, won major awards given by Japan’s Department of Culture in 1980. In addition to touring internationally, Xiang has published numerous zheng scores and articles. Xiang moved to Vancouver in 1993. She has continued to perform and teach the zheng in Canada and Asia.

項斯華─ 古箏

中國箏演奏家、教育家項斯華,原籍上海,1981年旅居香港,1993年移居加拿大。早年習鋼琴,1956年,入上海音樂學院附中,專修鋼琴。1958年興起音樂民族化運動,項氏轉習箏,師從浙江箏家王巽之先生、並得曹正先生指導。1960年直升上海音樂學院民族音樂系,並前往鄭州拜箏家任清志老師習河南箏。後從王巽之及潮州箏家郭鷹習潮州箏。曾任北京中央新聞電影製片廠樂團 ( 後易名北京電影樂團 ) 民族樂隊及中國歌劇舞劇院演奏員;任教於中國音樂學院、中央音樂學院、香港中文大學音樂系、香港演藝學院中樂系;兼任北京古箏研究會理事、香港民族音樂學會理事、香港藝術家聯盟成員,並經常應邀往海內外舉行個人獨奏音樂會。

1974年,於國務院文化組「琴瑟箏改革小組」,試奏各式改革箏。1975年,調往文化部「錄音錄影小組」,將不同派別的京劇唱腔,移植在箏上演奏,錄音和錄像,現存於北京中國藝術研究院音樂研究所。曾出版多張唱片,其中於1979年中國唱片公司出版的《漁舟唱晚》及《燈月交輝》,至今仍屬箏樂音響之精品。1980年,日本EMI唱片出版,音樂學家岸邊成雄監製的《項斯華中國箏曲名演集》,獲日本文化廳大獎。2000年與 2005年,中國唱片公司先後以《 20世紀中華樂壇名人名曲珍藏版 ╱項斯華‧古箏篇》和《中國民族音樂大師 ‧古箏演奏家》為題出版其演奏專輯。著有〈中國箏樂的源流與風格〉、〈從箏曲的創作看箏樂的發展〉、〈漫話中國的箏樂〉、〈秦箏和《秦桑曲》〉、〈浙江箏芻議〉及《項斯華演奏中國箏譜》等。2004年,上海音樂出版社出版《項斯華中國箏演奏藝術》VCD與CD專輯《高山流水》,並出版《每日必彈‧古箏指序練習曲集》一書,至2010年中已印刷了十八次。

Rong Jun – erhu

Rong Jun is an erhu soloist and educator. After graduating from the China Music Academy in Beijing, she joined the China Opera & Dance Orchestra. Jun has continued to be active on stage after making Vancouver her new home. She has appeared at many concerts, festivals, film and CD recordings, and CBC radio broadcast. Her outstanding techniques on the erhu have brought her into various music projects, performing for a wide range of audiences. Jun is a member of Vancouver Inter-Culture Orchestra and Silk Road Music Ensemble. She was a guest soloist with the Victoria Symphony, Calgary Symphony, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Invited by Vancouver Chinese Culture Centre, she gave the Canadian premiere of Chinese composer Wen Deqing’s new work with the internationally renowned Vega String Quartet. In the Vancouver Sun, music critics raved about her “brilliant erhu playing”.

戎峻 – 二胡

出生於河北省,九歲開始學琴,十三歲考入北京中國音樂學院附中,先後師從張尊連、何楚榮老師。1993年考入中國音樂學院大學部,師從二胡演奏家曹德維副教授,專攻二胡,並學習高胡­,古箏及揚琴,於1996年畢業。1997年受聘於中­國歌劇舞劇院民族管弦樂團,曾擔任樂團的獨奏﹐並參與唱片、電影、電視音樂的錄製工作,並隨文化部赴­日本、韓國進行演出及文化交流。

2001年移居加拿大後,戎峻繼續活躍於舞台上,不論是大型交響音樂會、室內樂、影片配音、光碟錄音、音樂節、以及加拿大國家電台等各種不同場合,都能聽到她的演奏。戎峻細膩的音樂表達与純熟的技巧,獲得了專業人士和聽眾的一致好評。她曾與溫哥華交響樂團、維多利亞交響樂團、和卡加利愛樂樂團合作,擔任獨奏。並受溫哥華中華文化中心的邀請,以二胡領奏與來自美國紐約著名的「織女弦樂四重奏」合作,演出作曲家溫德青作品在加拿大的首演,被溫哥華太陽報譽為「光輝的二胡演奏」。

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Qing Chang – sanxian

A multi-instrumentalist specializing in Chinese plucked instruments, Qing Chang began playing the pipa at the age of seven. She pursued professional music training at the Secondary Annex of Tianjin Conservatory. In 1992, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, mastering various Chinese instruments, such as sanxianruan and guzheng. Her mentors included Mrs. Tan Long Jian and Mr. Xiao Jian Sheng. From 1993 to 1995, Qing performed with the China Broadcast Folk Orchestra and the Central Assembly of Song and Dance Troupe. In 1995, she won the award for Outstanding Performance of the Freedom Cup International Competition for Traditional Chinese Instruments. Qing immigrated to Canada in 1997, and quickly became well known in the community. She has since been performing in concerts, at music festivals, and on CBC Radio programs. Her recent appearances included solo recitals in Regina, Calgary, and Vancouver, Regina New Music Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, 2013 Canadian-Chinese International Performing Arts Festival, and 2014 Chinese New Year Gala at the Orpheum Theater. As a featured soloist with Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, Qing performed with Japanese samisenplayer Hiroshi Yamaguchi and Canadian banjo player Nick Hornbuckle to a full house at Vancouver Playhouse. Qing has been teaching at her own Evelyn Music Teaching Studio in Vancouver since 2013. She is an active member of the Canadian Chinese Music Society. She released her solo CD ‘Old Street’ in 2003.

常青 - 三弦

常青出生於中國天津,1992年畢業於北京中央音樂學院,曾先後加入中國廣播民族樂團及中央歌舞團。1997年移民加拿大,致力於教學及表演,曾任教於加拿大UBC大學及Regina音樂學院。常青的學生在加拿大音樂比賽中,屢屢獲得佳績。其中董美渲在中國樂器考績比賽中,榮獲第一個十級證書和第一届專業「教師音樂節」古箏組第一名。作為一名不可多得的彈撥樂演奏家, 她參與了數百場大型演出,包括溫哥華民俗音樂節、Regina新音樂節、楓華國際藝術節,及奧芬劇院新年音樂會,並多次為加拿大CBC電台錄制節目。於2013年,受溫哥華中樂團之邀,擔任溫哥華Playhouse音樂會獨奏,並與日本三味線、加拿大Banjo演奏家同台競藝。常青曾於2000、2001、2004年,舉辦多場個人音樂會。2002年出版個人首張專輯【老街】, 輪番演奏琵琶、古箏、三弦,並加上吟唱,贏得無數的讚譽。

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