The Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble will perform in concert on Sunday, May 24 at 4 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The program will include Chinese music ranging from traditional to modern compositions, with performances in a variety of configurations, including a trio, a quintet, the Pipa Ensemble, the Guzheng Ensemble, and solos by award-winning artists. This event is free and open to the public.
Established ten years ago, the ensemble plays traditional Chinese instruments. Comprised primarily of Carleton students, the performance will also feature Northfield High School student, Alida Dice. Under the direction of world-class Pipa artist, Gao Hong, the Carleton Chinese Music Ensemble has performed to much acclaim at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Mall of America, the University of Minnesota, and at numerous conferences and Chinese celebrations through the region.
Members of the Chinese Music Ensemble include Yawen Chen ’15 (China) and Yijun Wang ’18 (China) on the Dizi (Chinese bamboo flute); Yang Chen ’17 (Denton, Texas), Johanna Olsen ’15 (Richfield, Minn.), and Xiaodi Wang ’16 (China) on the Erhu (Chinese fiddle); John Lee ’15 (Republic of Korea), In Taek Hong ’14, and Wanqi Yu ’15 (China) on percussion; Ken Wang ’15 (China) on the Sanxian (Chinese banjo); Heqing He ’17 (China), Oiyuan Hu ’17 (China), Shatian Wang ’17 (China), Yijun Wang and Vicky Wu ’17 on the Guzheng (Chinese zither); Camille Braun ’16 (Cape Elizabeth, Me.), Woo Jin Lee ’18 (Republic of Korea), and Zhilu Zhang ’17 (China) on the violin; Sijin Chen ’17 (China) on the Zhongruan (Chinese plucked string instrument); Emma Grisanzio ’17 (Carol Stream, Ill.) on the cello; and Alida Dice (Northfield High School), Kai Huang ’16 (China), Moliang Jiang ’18 (China), Yue Jin ’18 (China), Douglas Totten ’16 (Hanover, Ind.), Phoebi Yu ’16 (Chicago) and Ming Zi ’16 (China) on the Pipa (Chinese lute).
Ensemble director Gao Hong is the music department’s Performance Activities Coordinator as well as a lecturer in Chinese musical instruments at Carleton. She 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. A world-renowned Pipa player, Gao Hong has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, including with such groups as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Heidelberg Philharmonic and the (San Francisco) Women’s Philharmonic.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Department of Music. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4347. The Concert Hall is located on First Street, between Nevada and Winona Streets, in Northfield.