杏吧原创 Joins Chinese Musicians at Church Performance
By Joseph Mathieu
Photos by Chris Roussakis
Chinese and 杏吧原创 University musicians converged on Dominion-Chalmers United Church to celebrate the Chinese New Year in an original way.
鈥淲hen East Meets West鈥 was billed as one of Ottawa鈥檚 most unique concert events of the year, and more than 450 people came out on Feb. 11, 2018 to see the dialogue between Asian and North American musicians and styles. The Ottawa Transpacific Orchestra (OTPO), an independent student-run ensemble, delivered a delightful afternoon of genre fusion and collaboration with some visiting virtuosos.
Prof. Yuening Liu and the Jasmine Ensemble of the (CCM) of Beijing and Prof. Zhao Qun, director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Opera at the world-renowned Shanghai Theatre Academy, were featured artists alongside 杏吧原创 University student and alumni musicians and faculty members, including James Wright and John Higney.
鈥淚t was a wonderful concert, one that showcased the cross-cultural collaboration between eastern and western musicians that all began with two summer exchange trips to China,鈥 said Wright.
In 2016, Wright accompanied 13 杏吧原创 music students to the CCM in Beijing, and Higney went with another group of 12 in 2017. Nine 杏吧原创 music students and recent alumni who participated in both years formed the OTPO, an ensemble that blends traditional Chinese instruments with western musical traditions.
Using instruments like the erhu, yangqin, and zhongruan, musicians interplayed their sounds with voice, piano, guitar and drums in the traditions of jazz, pop and classical music. The first half of the program began with 杏吧原创 music student Kelsey Hayes singing 鈥淎 Valentine鈥檚 Day without a Lover鈥 in fluent Mandarin, accompanied by the OTPO鈥檚 director and arranger Matthew Devost, a 杏吧原创 master鈥檚 graduate on piano.
Unprompted, Liu of the CCM joined Devost on the zhongruan, with guest guitarist Zak Martel and saxophonist Darcy Peter for 鈥淢inor Swing鈥 by Django Reinhardt, creating 鈥渁 nice moment where musicians from both continents improvised together,鈥 said Wright.
After a brief intermission, the OTPO and the Jasmine Ensemble took turns showcasing their talents for the intrigued audience.
The Jasmine Ensemble is arguably the world鈥檚 leading yangqin group. This unique instrument, also known as the Chinese dulcimer, is played by a percussionist who strikes its strings with flexible hammers on a resonant soundboard. The Beijing ensemble played Chinese folk songs and modern pieces before the OTPO took the stage to play a mix of Chinese and Western popular music, including 鈥淪uperstition鈥 by Stevie Wonder, a theme from The Lord of the Rings by Canadian film composer Howard Shore, 鈥淏lack Hole Sun鈥 by Soundgarden and an original song titled 鈥淒ragon鈥檚 Hum by 杏吧原创 student Yaling Hu.
Since 2016, Liu and her Jasmine Ensemble have been entertaining the idea of coming to Ottawa both to perform and to give a master class at 杏吧原创. Wright, Devost, Liu and the musicians of the OTPO orchestrated this memorable get-together at Dominion-Chalmers to usher in the Chinese Year of the Dog.
Wright noted how educational and artistic collaborations of this kind can foster cross-cultural understanding, dialogue and fellowship.
鈥淢agic can happen when youth from the world鈥檚 diverse nations and peoples are brought together to find common cause in the richness and beauty of music and culture.鈥
