One of Taiwan's most famous traditional Chinese music ensembles will bring a comprehensive five-day program on sizhu music, a classical style of musical arrangement using traditional Chinese string and woodwind instruments, to New York City from May 25 to 28.
Established in 1991 by renowned erhu player Huang Chen-ming (黃正銘) and pipa musician Lin Hui-kuan (林慧寬), Chai Found Music Workshop (采風樂坊) has established itself as one of the foremost sizhu - otherwise known as Chinese chamber music - ensembles in the world.
The ensemble focuses on six traditional Chinese instruments - the pipa (Chinese lute), erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle), ruan (Chinese moon guitar), dizi (bamboo flute), yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), guzheng (Chinese plucked zither), and sheng (a mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes).
As a traditional Chinese ensemble, Chai Found has battled valiantly to broaden the appeal of traditional Chinese chamber music through the incorporation of modern musical styles and dramatic elements. Their musical work mainly focuses on three distinct areas - traditional Taiwanese and Chinese music, stage productions, and contemporary music.
For the upcoming program in New York City, Chai Found Music Workshop will bring to stage a wide interpretative range of sizhu music to showcase the fresh possibilities of this age-old music genre, starting with a comprehensive demonstration and lecture titled "The Expression of Emotion in Traditional Chinese Music” on May 25.
Then from May 26 through 28, a three-concert series named "Poetry, Sizhu, and Taiwanese Opera” will offer "Classic Sizhu” - classical repertoire with fresh, novel arrangements; "Modern Sizhu” - commissioned works from Taiwanese composers; and "Poetry and Taiwanese Opera” - innovative pieces integrating classic Tang Dynasty poetry with Taiwanese operatic music.
The Chai Found Music Workshop 2017 US Tour will wrap up with a final performance in Washington, D.C. on May 30.
Demonstration Lecture
The Expression of Emotion in Traditional Chinese Music
- May 25 6pm, Flushing Library (41-17 Main St., Flushing)
- Huang Chen-Ming with demonstrations by CMFW musicians
Concerts
Poetry, Sizhu, and Taiwanese Opera
- May 26 2pm, Mid-Manhattan Library (455 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016), followed by a Q&A session with the musicians
- May 27 3.30pm, Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main St, Flushing, NY 11355) free with park admission
- May 28 1pm, Passport to Taiwan Festival, Union Square, NY
- May 30 7pm, Culture Center, TECRO (901 Wind River Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878)