The acclaimed Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble will perform in concert Sunday, May 20 at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The performance will feature Chinese classical, folk, silk and bamboo, percussion and minority music. This year’s spring concert will also feature traditional Temple music. This event is free and open to the public.
Founded in 2004 and comprised of Carleton students playing traditional Chinese instruments—including bowed strings, plucked strings, winds and percussive instruments—the Chinese Music Ensemble performs throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Current members of the Chinese Music Ensemble include: Hannah Button-Harrison ’12 (Ames, Iowa) and Soon Kai Poh ’14 (Singapore) on the Guzheng; Ming Sheng Wang ’15 (Canada) on the Sanxian; Kim Bauer ’13 (Olympia, Wash.), Amanda Grover ’12 (Pleasant Grove, Utah), Shao Min Tan ’12 (Singapore), Yuanpu Wang ’12 (China), and Tantuo Xu ’15 (China) on the Erhu; Yonas Hailu ’13 (Denver) on the guitar; Gabriel Keller ’13 (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Leonardo Hummel ’12 (Seattle) on the Zhongruan; and Yao When Chen ’15 (China) on the Dizi.
Ensemble director Gao Hong is a world-renowned “master” of the pipa, or Chinese lute. A professional musician since the age of 12, Gao Hong is a graduate of China’s premier music school, the Central Conservatory of Music, and has received numerous honors and awards for her work as a musician as well as several commissions as a composer. She has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, including with such groups as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Heidelberg Philharmonic and the Women’s Philharmonic of San Francisco, and she has been featured on public radio and television in the Twin Cities and nationwide. More information on Gao Hong can be found at www.chinesepipa.com.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Department of Music at (507) 222-4347. The Carleton College Concert Hall is located off First Street, between Nevada Winona Streets, in Northfield.
