Come to celebrate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit with China Institute and the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York!
This evening program will feature performance by renowned musicians trained in traditional Chinese musical instruments including Flute, Guzheng, Erhu, Ruan, Yangqin, and Percussions, to indulge the audience with a memorable experience of classical Chinese music. Audiences will also get the opportunity to enjoy intimate interaction and conversations with the artists, accompanied by refreshments provided by China Institute. This is a unique chance to learn about the characteristics of different Chinese musical pieces and have fun in the meantime!
Schedule
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Reception with refreshments
6:00 PM – 6:20 PM
Music Performance (Flute, Guzheng, Erhu, Ruan, Cello, Yangqin, Percussions)
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Interactive Breakout Music Presentations and Close Encounter with Musicians and Musical Instruments
Room I: Guzheng, Erhu and Dance
Room II: Ruan
Room III: Flute and Hulusi
Room I: Guzheng, Erhu and Dance
Room II: Ruan
Room III: Flute and Hulusi
7:00 PM – 7:20 PM
Music Performance and Interactive Dance
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Networking with refreshments
Artists’ Bios
Julian Gau (高藇怀) Conductor | Erhu | Xylophone | Cello
Julian Gau is a conductor, composer, and a performer. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at Boston Conservatory and conducts the Horizon Ensemble. He’s conducted four shows–West Side Story, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Soldier’s Tale, and Into the Woods. Aside from conducting, he plays piano and cello and has participated in various orchestras and chamber groups.
Julian Gau is a conductor, composer, and a performer. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at Boston Conservatory and conducts the Horizon Ensemble. He’s conducted four shows–West Side Story, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Soldier’s Tale, and Into the Woods. Aside from conducting, he plays piano and cello and has participated in various orchestras and chamber groups.
Hannah Jew (周健倫) Dancer
Hannah Jew is a Chinese American artist born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where she began her training at Classical Ballet School. She has spent summers training at Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. During her time in college, she had the opportunity to perform in Eisenstadt, Austria with Oklahoma Festival Ballet. She has also performed with Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Ballet Hispánico’s second company (BHdos) and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Most recently, Hannah performed on The King and I National Tour. Hannah is currently based in New York City as a freelance artist. She is also passionate about sharing her love of dance to the next generation and teaches dance to all ages. Instagram: @hannahjew
Hannah Jew is a Chinese American artist born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where she began her training at Classical Ballet School. She has spent summers training at Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. During her time in college, she had the opportunity to perform in Eisenstadt, Austria with Oklahoma Festival Ballet. She has also performed with Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Ballet Hispánico’s second company (BHdos) and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Most recently, Hannah performed on The King and I National Tour. Hannah is currently based in New York City as a freelance artist. She is also passionate about sharing her love of dance to the next generation and teaches dance to all ages. Instagram: @hannahjew
Sulwyn Lok (骆思衡) Ruan
Sulwyn Lok came from Singapore. Sulwyn is a composer as well as an accomplished Ruan player who integrates his unique cultural and social background from multiple Southeast Asian sources as a Chinese instrumentalist and an innovative composer leveraging different media. His work has been premiered at the Cannes and Busan film festival, and he is a Best Original Music winner at the National Youth Film Awards.
Sulwyn Lok came from Singapore. Sulwyn is a composer as well as an accomplished Ruan player who integrates his unique cultural and social background from multiple Southeast Asian sources as a Chinese instrumentalist and an innovative composer leveraging different media. His work has been premiered at the Cannes and Busan film festival, and he is a Best Original Music winner at the National Youth Film Awards.
William Peng (袁鹏程) Yangqin | Percussions
William Peng is a graduate of Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China, majoring in Yangqin (Chinese Hammer Dulcimer). Mr. Peng is also the lead percussion principle of the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. In addition to having performed in many well acclaimed concert venues including the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall, Mr. Peng has been a highly respected Yangqin and percussion teacher in New York and New Jersey areas in the past 20 years.
William Peng is a graduate of Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China, majoring in Yangqin (Chinese Hammer Dulcimer). Mr. Peng is also the lead percussion principle of the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. In addition to having performed in many well acclaimed concert venues including the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall, Mr. Peng has been a highly respected Yangqin and percussion teacher in New York and New Jersey areas in the past 20 years.
Wei Sun (孙薇) Guzheng
Born in a family of artists, Wei is a national certified senior teacher of Guzheng, a member of the Chinese National Instrumental Association and a member of the International Guzheng Association. She has extensive experience in performing, and was admitted to the Department of Music, Communication University of China, and then she studied in University of China Guzheng College for Master and Teacher Certification. Wei’s employment of the seven-tone Guzheng is very innovative as she breaks the usual pentatonic limitations of traditional Chinese instruments and plays Guzheng in the western heptatonic scale. Since her arrival in New York in 2016, Wei has been invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, United Nations, Pace University, Columbia University, Merkin Concert Hall, Flushing Townhall, and Queens College Art Center, to name a few.
Born in a family of artists, Wei is a national certified senior teacher of Guzheng, a member of the Chinese National Instrumental Association and a member of the International Guzheng Association. She has extensive experience in performing, and was admitted to the Department of Music, Communication University of China, and then she studied in University of China Guzheng College for Master and Teacher Certification. Wei’s employment of the seven-tone Guzheng is very innovative as she breaks the usual pentatonic limitations of traditional Chinese instruments and plays Guzheng in the western heptatonic scale. Since her arrival in New York in 2016, Wei has been invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, United Nations, Pace University, Columbia University, Merkin Concert Hall, Flushing Townhall, and Queens College Art Center, to name a few.
Katelyn Weng (翁梦昕) Flute | Hulusi
Katelyn set forth on her musical journey learning piano at the age of six and Chinese flute at the age of eight with Mr. Yuyuan Xu. She became a member of The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York in 2010 and performs with them bi-annually at Merkin Concert Hall. After winning first place in the Eastern Music category in the SNO-US International Campus Cultural Arts Festival in Beijing in 2011, she returned to attend the CCTV Colorful Gala in 2013. She is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia Arts High School in Manhattan and is currently a senior at St. John’s University. Despite pursuing a pharmacy degree in school, she continues to challenge her musical ability and experiments with different types of musical tastes to this day.
Katelyn set forth on her musical journey learning piano at the age of six and Chinese flute at the age of eight with Mr. Yuyuan Xu. She became a member of The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York in 2010 and performs with them bi-annually at Merkin Concert Hall. After winning first place in the Eastern Music category in the SNO-US International Campus Cultural Arts Festival in Beijing in 2011, she returned to attend the CCTV Colorful Gala in 2013. She is a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia Arts High School in Manhattan and is currently a senior at St. John’s University. Despite pursuing a pharmacy degree in school, she continues to challenge her musical ability and experiments with different types of musical tastes to this day.
Feifei Yang (杨飞飞) Erhu | Banhu | Zhonghu
Feifei Yang is a virtuoso on the Erhu and Banhu, two Chinese stringed instruments, as well as a vocalist. She is a dual Global Music Award Winner. She has performed in legendary settings as the United Nations, Abu Dhabi Palace, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Barclays Center, CBS, WNBC and more. She has performed for the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the Rockefeller’s, Steve Forbes, China’s President and the First Lady. Her singles and albums include You Will Never Be Alone, Heroic China, Love Will Win Again, Tug of War, Dance of the Strings, Gu•Ran, and China Caribe.
Feifei Yang is a virtuoso on the Erhu and Banhu, two Chinese stringed instruments, as well as a vocalist. She is a dual Global Music Award Winner. She has performed in legendary settings as the United Nations, Abu Dhabi Palace, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Barclays Center, CBS, WNBC and more. She has performed for the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the Rockefeller’s, Steve Forbes, China’s President and the First Lady. Her singles and albums include You Will Never Be Alone, Heroic China, Love Will Win Again, Tug of War, Dance of the Strings, Gu•Ran, and China Caribe.
This program is made possible through the generous support of Chinese International Education Foundation, as well as other public and private donors of China Institute.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
CMENY is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which receives funding from the New York State Council of the Arts, CMENY Board members and many traditional music enthusiasts.