The first modern orchestra in China will bring a 20-person ensemble to Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium on Feb. 4.
The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra was founded in the early 1950s, when the Chinese communists were solidifying their control over the nation. The appearance of the group is the result of an initiative to introduce many Chinese cultural groups to American university audiences.
“Our director, George Trudeau, traveled to China with a group of major university presenters,” said John Rafacz, editorial manager for the Centre for the Performing Arts. “On that trip, the presenters saw several dozen performances by Chinese cultural groups and many were invited to perform in the United States.”
According to Rafacz, the concert will feature a smaller ensemble that will play traditional Chinese music on traditional Chinese instruments.
“They will offer a decidedly different sound,” as compared with most Western music, Rafacz said. “The concert will provide a good introduction to Chinese music for the Penn State community.”
Led by artistic director Wang Fujian, the orchestra will offer a program called “Elegant Music Series.” The pieces have evocative names such as “In the Still of the Night,” “The Silk Road,” and “Moonlight on the Spring River.”
“The performance will include duets and trios, a wide variety of groups similar to what is done by the Chamber Society at New York’s Lincoln Center,” Rafacz said.
The instruments have names like erhu, zheng, dizi and yangqin. Traditional Chinese music is based on a 12-tone scale compared with the eight-tone diatonic scale used in traditional Western music.
In addition to the evening performance, the orchestra will offer a free family concert at 1 p.m. Feb. 5 in Schwab Auditorium. The family concert is free but tickets are required.
The 2012 national tour of the Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra is part of a major, multi-year cultural exchange with Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the United States Major University Presenters consortium. This performance is also made possible, in part, by support from the Penn State Confucius Institute.
The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra Chamber Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Schwab Auditorium, University Park. A family concert will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 5. Call 800-ARTS-TIX or visit www.cpa.psu.edu for more information.
