Carleton’s Renowned Chinese Music Ensemble Presents Fall Concert
Carleton College’s renowned Chinese Music Ensemble will perform in concert on Sunday, November 9 at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall.
Established ten years ago, the ensemble plays traditional Chinese instruments. Comprised primarily of Carleton students, the performance will also feature a Northfield High School student and two students from neighboring St. Olaf College. 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.
Carleton College’s renowned Chinese Music Ensemble will perform in concert on Sunday, November 9 at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall.
Established ten years ago, the ensemble plays traditional Chinese instruments. Comprised primarily of Carleton students, the performance will also feature a Northfield High School student and two students from neighboring St. Olaf College. 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.
In 2014, four members won medals at the International Hua’in Cup for Chinese Instruments Competition in San Jose, California. A panel comprised of elite musicians and music scholars from the People’s Republic of China awarded a Gold Medal to Yawen Chen ’15 on the Dizi (Chinese bamboo flute); a Silver Medal to Vicky Wu ’17 on the Guzheng (Chinese zither); and Bronze Medals to Xiaodi Wang ’16 on the Erhu (Chinese fiddle) and Ken Wang ’15 on the Sanxian (Chinese banjo).
Other members include first-year student Yijun Wang ’18 (China); sophomores Yang Chen ’17 (Denton, Texas), Isabelle Hu ’17 (China), Isabelle Huang ’17 (China), Shatian Wang ’17 (China), Lydia Ding ’17 (Rochester, Mich.), Yue Pan ’17 (China), Ruyi Shen ’17 (China), Autumn Qiu ’17 (China), and Emma Grisanzio ’17 (Carol Stream, Ill.); juniors Kai Huang ’16 (China), Douglas Totten ’16 (Hanover, Ind.), Phoebi Yu ’16 (Chicago), and Ming Zi ’16 (China); seniors Johanna Olsen ’15 (Richfield, Minn.), Emily Massell ’15 (Burlington, Vt.), Sherry Gu ’15 (China), and Kan Wang ’15 (China); along with Alida Dice (Northfield High School) and Hao Du and Xinying Liu (both of St. Olaf College).
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. Hong, whose instrument of choice is the pipa, or pear-shaped lute, 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.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Department of Music at (507) 222-4347. The Carleton College Concert Hall is located on First and Winona Streets South in Northfield.