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26th Annual Concert
"Sounds of China: The Next Generation"
May 4, 2008 at 3 p.m.
This May 4th, the next generation of classical Chinese musicians takes the Bay Area by storm when more than 100 young, local musicians between the ages of 5 and 30 take to the stage for an unforgettable and electrifying performance of classical Chinese and contemporary compositions presented by the San Francisco Gu-Zheng Music Society. "Sounds of China: The Next Generation" takes place at 3 p.m. on May 4th at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre.
The young performers are exceptionally talented and committed to their craft and have been rigorously trained under professional Chinese masters who immigrated to the Bay Area over the last two decades. Such accomplished teachers as gu-zheng Master Weishan Liu, dizi Master Ding Jian, erhu Master Tian Yong Ping, suona Master Yu Zhang, pipa Master Liu Hecheng and Percussion Master Wang Wei have made the Bay Area a fertile ground for the study of classical Chinese instruments. Many had to face tremendous challenges after arriving in the United States, but they were determined to teach a new generation of Chinese musicians born and raised in America.
Gu-zheng Master Weishan Liu has been teaching gu-zheng in the Bay Area for 26 years. The gu-zheng originated in China more than 2500 years ago. Part of the zither family, this plucked string instrument takes much patience to play as Liu notes, "To learn gu-zheng, one must have a serious determined attitude, an unyielding focus to develop technical mastery and, most importantly, a humble desire to increase artistic maturity."
Liu found these qualities in a four-year-old girl 25 years ago. The girl, Winnie Wong, regularly accompanied her mother to Liu's studio. The mother made mistakes often, but it wasn't Liu who pointed them out. It was the woman's gifted, little daughter who later earned the nickname "One Beat" for the way in which she would correct her mother's timing. Winnie became a star pupil, performing in her first show at the age of 5. Now nearly 30 years old, she directs her own gu-zheng school in Oakland and continues to work with her teacher on concerts and special programs.
Another remarkable student is 12-year-old Aaron Gary who has studied flute with Master Ding Jian for 5 years. Aaron, raised here in the Bay Area by his Chinese mother and Indian father, was a stranger to the Mandarin language, but that was the only language that Master Ding Jian knew. The two developed an uncanny ability to communicate using body language and eye contact and have established a deep relationship during the 5 years they have been working together.
For the "Sounds of China" concert, 110 other young musicians, many of whom have won prizes in competitions here and in China, will join both of these dedicated young people on stage. The program includes performances by the award-winning Six Golden Flowers Ensemble that draws together the top youth performers of the Gu-Zheng Music Society, the California Youth Chinese Symphony, China's Spirit Music Ensemble, Tranquil Resonance Studio, the Chinese Art and Music Center and the Alice Fong Yu Gu-Zheng Ensemble.
The concert takes place at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, 401 Van Ness Avenue, and begins at 3 p.m. on May 4. Tickets are $25, $35, $50, and $100 (VIP). For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Society at 415-668-8111 or City Box Office at 415-392-4400.