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Renowned zheng masters So Chun-bo and Wang Zhongshan will team up in April with pianist Cheng Wai, cellist Chuen Kin, the Hong Kong Strings and the Hong Kong Zheng Orchestra for a concert that will blend zheng and Western music.
Under the baton of Chan Wing-wah, the musicians and the orchestra will perform "China Fantasia", "Liquormania", "Dance of the Yi's", "The Worship", "An Idyllic Landscape" and "An Elegy for a Lost City in the Desert". They will also perform with the Hong Kong Strings in the premieres of the orchestral versions of "Qu Yuan Suite", "An Exemplary Teacher for All Ages" and "The Story of the Red Chamber" (excerpts).
A performer, lecturer and composer, So Chun-bo started performing in 1965. More than 2,000 students from Southeast Asian countries, the United States and Australia have studied zheng under him. So has devoted himself to promoting zheng music. While the zheng was originally a solo instrument, the first zheng orchestra was established in 1971 and the zheng is now played alongside Western instruments as well, offering numerous musical possibilities. In 1974, So gave the first zheng concert in Hong Kong City Hall, paving the way for zheng concerts in Hong Kong.
So currently teaches at the Music Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the chairman of the Hong Kong Zheng Orchestra, the principal of the Hong Kong Guzheng Academy, and a member of the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Limited and the Hong Kong Folk Music Association.
Wang Zhongshan is a famous zheng recitalist in China today. He currently teaches at the China Conservatory, and his other official positions include being secretary general of the Zheng Society under the Chinese Musicians' Association, a visiting professor at many universities on the Mainland, and a supervisor in a Master's degree programme.
Wang's music is insightful and sensitive, with lyrical and vibrant tones. He is known for his ability to present thoughts through emotive musical idioms. He came first in the zheng section of the International Chinese Ethnic Instruments Solo Competition. He is acclaimed for an easy, relaxed stage presence that belies his virtuosity and control, and is considered one of the most influential zheng artists in China today as well as a pioneer in modern zheng techniques.
The zheng concert is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It will be held at 8pm on April 22 (Sunday), at the Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall. Tickets priced at $160, $140 and $110 are now available at URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for group bookings.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/00000390.html. Ticketing enquiries can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Thursday, March 22, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:58
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