The Carleton Chinese Silk and Bamboo Music Ensemble, directed by Gao Hong, will present a concert Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m. in the Carleton College Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

The ensemble, a unique group in the Midwest, was established a year ago. After having performed at various events, including Carleton’s international festival, gallery openings, and a Chinese New Year celebration, the group was recently invited to perform at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Although none of the student members had prior experience with Chinese music, they can now play many varieties. The concert will feature seniors Zhuan Pei (Beijing, China), Mariko Teruya (Miyakojima City, Japan), Huy Bui (San Antonio, Tex.) and Lianne Hilbert (Ann Arbor, Mich.), juniors Serena Gong (Roseville, Minn.) and Jean Hyun (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and sophomores Claire Du (Wuhan City, China) and Kimloan Hguyen (Burnsville, Minn.).

The performance will feature folk music, classical Chinese music and minority music, among other types. The students will perform with a variety of instruments including the pipa (a lute-like instrument), the erhu (Chinese violin), the guzheng (Chinese table harp), and the bawu (reed pipe).

Gao Hong, Carleton’s adjunct instructor in Chinese musical instruments, is an expert pipa player. She began performing at age 12 and graduated with honors from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Hong has won numerous honors, including first prize in the Hebei Professional Young Music Performers Competition, a Bush Artist Fellowship and an Asian Pacific Award. Hong has performed throughout Europe, Australia, China and the United States in solo concerts and with symphony orchestras.

The Carleton College Concert Hall has limited disability accessibility. The Carleton music department is sponsoring the concert. For more information and disability accommodations, call the Carleton music department at (507) 646-4347.