The Xiamen Philharmonic, under the direction of Maestra Zheng Xiaoying, will perform at Scripps College’s Garrison Theater on October 9, 2009, at 8 p.m. In an ongoing musical and cultural exchange with Scripps College, the Claremont Concert Choir, directed by Scripps College Assistant Professor of music history, Dr. Charles Kamm, will make a guest performance. The concert is free and open to the public.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the orchestra of 80 musicians will perform a variety of pieces with great cultural significance, such as the famous violin concerto, The Butterfly Lovers, by He Zhanhao Chen Gang, and The Echoes of Hakkas Earth Buildings, an original symphony composed by Liu Yuan, at the request of Professor Zheng. Echoes, inspired by the Hakka people of southern China, is an example of traditional Chinese folk music.
Directing the orchestra is famed conductor, Professor Zheng Xiaoying. Professor Zheng is a prominent conductor of opera and symphony orchestras, and is the artistic director and principal conductor of the Xiamen Philharmonic. One of only a few female conductors in China, Zheng is China’s first nationally-recognized female conductor, and the first Chinese maestra to conduct opera abroad. Zheng was nominated principal conductor of the China Central Opera Theatre, and later founded the Xiamen Philharmonic in 1998. Professor Zheng has been awarded the French Medal of Honor and was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Zheng was also a torch runner for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games—quite a feat for a woman approaching 80.
Two highly-awarded musicians will perform as soloists in the concert. Zhang Hongyan will play the pipa, a traditional four-stringed Chinese instrument, sometimes called the Chinese lute. Zhang was introduced to the pipa by her father at the age of seven and later earning top honors at the National Youth Traditional Music Competition at age 14. Zhang performs as a soloist internationally, and has many published CDs.
Huang Bin, an internationally renowned violinist, has played the violin since age four, and earned her bachelor and master’s degrees in music while studying in the United States. Huang has achieved international prominence, winning the Paganini International Violin Competition and the Munich International Music Competition, in 1994 and 1999. Huang has been lauded for her interpretive technical skills most recently by The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun.
The night’s music is influenced significantly by the Hakka culture, a people whose origins date back to the 13th century. The musical piece, The Echoes of Hakkas Earth Buildings, is made up of five movements built on themes from two traditional folksongs. The Hakka culture continues to be an important part of Chinese history, and was recently recognized by UNESCO and awarded world heritage site status in 2008 for their unique Tulou buildings—ancient round earthen buildings characteristic of Hakka folk architecture.
Xiamen’s female-led orchestra performs at an opportune time at Scripps College, as the school celebrates the inaugural year of President Lori Bettison-Varga with the theme “The Genius of Women.” Throughout the year, Scripps is celebrating women’s creativity and leadership by showcasing guest speakers, writers, scientists, artists, and other thought leaders on campus. Scripps College is the only Women’s College on the West Coast ranked among the top 25 liberal arts institutions in the United States. Many inaugural events will take place throughout the year, leading up to Inauguration Weekend, March 26-28, 2010.
Since its founding by Professor Zheng in 1998, the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra has fast become one of China’s leading orchestras and a potent symbol of Xiamen, an island city of more than 2.4 million people, known as the “Music Island of the Orient.” The Xiamen orchestra is the only non-state-owned and self-financing orchestra in the country, and has played throughout China, East Asia, Europe, and North America, most recently in Canada. The philharmonic’s original 30-member orchestra has grown to 80, hailing from across China, and is devoted to maintaining the musical traditions and reputation of Xiamen.