FJ International Culture Communication and Chinese Music Ensemble of New York will present The Charm – Traditional Instrument, Modern Interpretation, a special concert at Carnegie Hall on February 1. This groundbreaking collaboration of six accomplished Chinese musicians will redefine the possibilities of the traditional Chinese Erhu, Guzheng, Pipa, and Yangqin instruments through original contemporary arrangements with the piano, woodwind instruments, and string ensembles—fusing classical Chinese ideals with the upbeat spirits of international culture.
The six performers and composers are Yunzhuo Gan (Yangqin, composer), Dong Liu (composer), Jiaju Shen (Pipa), Feifei Yang (Huqin), Mengyan Yu (Zither), Li Zong (composer). Having performed throughout China, the United States, and around the globe, each musician draws from his or her unique and extensive training to develop this fresh and intriguing approach to Chinese tradition.

“We are reimagining ‘traditional Chinese music’ not because we are standing instead of sitting to perform the instruments, but because we hold a profound interest in the resulting melodies when these instruments are brought together with musical styles like samba and jazz,” said Yunzhuo Gan, Dong Liu, the Li Zong, the composers. The performers Mengyan Yu, Jiaju Shen and Feifei Yang added, “By combining the traditional east with the contemporary west, the level of artistic expression that these instruments hold is heightened and given a powerful international context.”

The Charm – Traditional Instrument, Modern Interpretation is presented and directed by FJ International Culture Communication, with generous administrative support from the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, a non-profit organization partially funded by the New York State Council on the Arts that devotes itself to the preservation and promotion of Chinese musical heritage. FJ International Culture Communication is dedicated to supporting young and international artists to build a professional career in the United States.
About the Artists

Yunzhuo Gan, Chinese Dulcimer (yangqin) performer and composer, has performed throughout the world. Notably, she twice played for the former president of China, Jintao Hu, at the Shanghai World Expo and Paralympic Games, as well as at the Cannes International Film Festival and Prague Spring Music Festival. As composer, Gan scored the Chinese film “The Continuation of Love.” She composed Xiaoqiaoliushui for percussion and chamber ensemble for the 2014 Shanghai New Year’s Concert. Her work, Wudao, was performed by the SMG Chinese Instrument Orchestra. Gan has earned recognition from the EACA International Composition Competition and the TMSK Lithuania National Composition Competition.
Dong Liu is a multi-awarded music composer, arranger, and music director. His film music, Breathe, won the Best Original Score at Bobst Film Festival (2015). The NYU Film Scoring Competition awarded his animation score Moon to be performed at Symphony Space (2015). His music work, Fate, won the golden award at National Commercial Music Festival (2012). Mr. Liu’s music works include film, documentary, animation, theatre, commercials and multimedia installation. His recent film credits include Study Abroad II (2015) and Tibet (2015). He also orchestrated for the 911 Memorial Concert (Manhattan Symphony Orchestra, 2015), In Peace We Love (United Nations, 2015) and Sparkling Years (Lincoln Center, 2014). Mr. Liu is the music director of the Chinese New Year Gala Fire Monkey (PlayStation Theater, 2016). He has also supervised galas and concerts include The Big Apple Tale (NYU Skirball Center, 2015), Sparkling Years (Lincoln Center, 2014) and Zen Arts Concert (Jewish Community Center, 2014).

Jiaju Shen, a celebrated Pipa artist and producer, is an innovator and pioneer in revitalizing the traditional music of the Pipa. Jiaju brings contemporary interpretations and flavors of jazz, funk, and reggae to traditional Chinese music. In collaboration with Ms. Xi Zheng, an industrial designer, Jiaju developed a modern electronic version of the Pipa. In 2015, Jiaju released her first EP, Black Silk, which explores new possibilities of Pipa and its role in fusion music. Jiaju has been invited to perform in over 300 concerts and events across the States including the Olympics, the World Expo, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the United Nations, Metropolitan Museum, and the Barclays Center, among others.

Feifei Yang, Artistic Director, is a celebrated Huqin artist and an award-winning vocalist. She is a member of Chinese Musicians’ Association, a researcher of Digital Arts and Humanity Research Center at Pratt Institute. Ms. Yang has been invited to perform at notable institutions including Lincoln Center, the Barclays Center, the United Nations, Summer Stage, and New York Fashion Week, among many others. She has served as a judge for the CCTV’s China Youth Talent Show Contests, the Fifth Annual American Youth Talent and Art Contests, and China’s National Youth Music Competition. Feifei’s first self-composed and live Huqin music album, Dance of the Strings, was released in 2015.
Mengyan Yu is a guzheng (Chinese zither) virtuoso. Born and raised in a renowned family of musicians in Fujian, China, she started to learn guzheng at the age six and masters three different musical instruments: guzheng, piano, and flute. She is a member of The Chinese Music Ensemble Of New York. She has held solo concerts at Hangtai Concert Hall and Banlam Grand Theatre, receiving rave reviews. Since coming to the United States in 2010, she has performed on the prestigious stages of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, and for various celebrities. She holds a BA in music performance from Shanghai Theatre Academy and is pursuing her MFA in Acting at New York Film Academy.

Li Zong is a composer, electronic music designer and keyboard performer. He works with multiple music genres including classical, pop, rock, jazz, film scoring and modern electronic music, both on recorded albums and live onstage. His works have appeared at Lincoln Center, New York Fashion Week, the Museum of Macao, and the Shanghai Expo, as well as on China’s Got Talent and The Voice of China. His voice has also been heard at the 2011 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, the Broadway show Rent, and the Shanghai Jazz Festival. Li holds Masters degrees from both Shanghai Conservatory of Music and New York University.

Program Information

This concert will last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes with no intermission.
VERMILLION BIRD by Li Zong
The vermillion bird is a legendary animal in charge of the south, which represents red, summer, and fire. Through syncopated and dance-like rhythms, Vermillion Bird uses the erhu to challenge the instrument’s traditional quality of sadness and mildness.

1966 by Li Zong
1966 contrasts the sounds of the Pipa, the most powerful Chinese instrument, with a minimalist approach while imitating the familiar sounds of the time period.

HAZY CITY by Li Zong
Written for Zong’s hometown of Shanghai, the constant tremolo of piano and Pipa in Hazy City reflects the flowing clouds and waves found in recent months—ones shrouded in fog, chaos, and anxiety.

LONG JING by Dong Liu
A suite of two pieces, Long Jing tells the story of one adjusting to, and then rejecting, a western environment with an eastern identity through the use of the Guzheng.

INTERWINE by Yunzhuo Gan
Written upon Gan’s arrival to New York, Interwine illustrates the idea of uprooting oneself from a life in the spotlight and finding solitude in a life in the darkness.

POTALAKA by Li Zong
According to Buddhist scripts, Potalaka is the land where Buddha protects and saves the people. In the mountain where Buddha resides, how does he view the world and resolve human suffering? The main theme of Potalaka is in quintuple meters, symbolizing extraordinary spirit.

GIN by Dong Liu
The complement piece to Long Jing, Gin shares the reality and difficulty of integrating into a new culture through satire, with comedic and sharp musical elements.

MOTHER by Feifei Yang and arranged by Dong Liu
Mother illustrates the universality of maternal love found in life through its intimate music languages and vocals.

MELANCHOLY AND RELEASE by Yunzhuo Gan
Melancholy and Release shares the twists, turns, ups and downs of life—including those that need quiet, solitary reflection—by narrating the sorrow of the past with the erhu, underscored by steady drum beats that represent the strength needed to move forward.

DHARMA by Dong Liu
Dong Liu commits himself to follow the spirit of Zen and to seek the root of eastern music that is neglected by people who lives in big cities. Dharma is a relaxed music journey by representing its simple and unadorned melodies and musical colors.

SHENDU by Yunzhuo Gan
Through its exotic melody, Shendu fuses together the diverse cultural ideals found in Confucianism: to be cautious, guarded and self-disciplined, and to cast aside external sensations and honor one’s heart, mind, thought and volition.

Ticket Information

Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. For more information, please contact at 516-884-3866 or email at .