Friday, November 20, 2015

Washington Yu Ying School Chorus to Perform with China National Traditional Orchestra at Kennedy Center, December 11-13

Photo courtesy of China National Traditional Orchestra

From our friends at the China National Traditional Orchestra...

40-Voice Children’s Chorus from Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School to Perform with China National Traditional Orchestra

United States premiere of Rediscover Chinese Music at The John F. Kennedy Center Opera House, December 11-13, 2015

The Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Chorus will perform with the China National Traditional Orchestra as special guest artists for the Washington area engagement of Rediscover Chinese Music at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13.

Tickets, starting at $20 plus applicable service charges, are available online at www.kennedy-center.org, at The Kennedy Center Box Office, or via phone at (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.


The Washington Yu Ying Chorus, which includes 40 auditioned singers from Grades 3-5, will perform Train Toccota and Wild Goose, two pieces that are part of the traditional Chinese repertoire.

Maquita Alexander, Yu Ying Head of School, expressed her gratitude for the musical partnership between the two organizations: "I deem it an honor and privilege that our school has been selected to be a part of the performance with the Chinese National Traditional Orchestra. It is an outstanding opportunity for our students to share their knowledge of and appreciation for Chinese culture. It is a testament to the growing trend of bilingual and bicultural education."

Washington Yu Ying students recently participated in official White House ceremonies to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan to Washington, DC.

With its latest original and creative production, Rediscover Chinese Music, the world-renowned China National Traditional Orchestra pays homage to China’s musical traditions. This unique event combines the expansive sounds of the 110-piece orchestra with story-telling, technical innovation, and stunning multimedia backdrops.

Founded in 1960 under the guidance of the late Premier Zhou Enlai, the China National Traditional Orchestra is a state-level performing arts institution directly administered by the Ministry of Culture. Members of the orchestra - comprised of traditional instruments and a chorus - are highly esteemed musicians both at home and abroad. Rediscover Chinese Music is the sequel to Impression: Chinese Music, which premiered in 2013 at Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts.

The theme of Rediscover Chinese Music is the creation of new musical settings and arrangements for ten classic programs that combines their original glory with a fresh novelty. The program includes High Mountain Flowing Water, Three Variations of the Plum Blossoms, Parting at the Yangguan Pass, Silk Road, A Moonlit Night on the Spring River, Song of the Birds, The Moon Reflected on Er-quan, Ambush from Ten Sides, Spring Festival Overture and Yellow River.

Wang Chaoge, one of the most innovative and original directors of her generation in China, directed Rediscover Chinese Music and also wrote the script for the production. She has developed numerous large-scale multimedia productions in China that have received critical acclaim. In 2006, Wang Choage directed The First Emperor (with music by Tan Dun, starring Placido Domingo) at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. She also served on the core creative team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was the director and curator of the 2010 World Expo China Private Museum.

Liu Sha and He Jianguo are the resident conductors for the China National Traditional Orchestra. Liu Sha is widely recognized as an outstanding leader among the new generation of traditional orchestra conductors. To date, he has conducted the China National Traditional Orchestra on its tours to Russia, France, South Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, and the United States. In recent years, He Jianguo has conducted the China National Traditional Orchestra on many of its large-scale concerts, including Chinese Tone Colors, Grand Music from China, Impression: Chinese Music and Silk Road, all recognized for artistic excellence by the Ministry of Culture. His Tibetan Spring received the accolade of cultural frontier “model project” by the Ministry of Culture. In 2013, He received the Ministry of Culture’s Recognition of Excellence for Conducting.

The creative team for Rediscover Chinese Music also includes Jiang Ying (composer and arranger), Li Bin (stage design), Wang Yugang (lighting design), Gan Hua and Zheng Zejian (multimedia design), Zuo Huanyu (costume design), Shen Tian (sound design), and Xi Qiang (producer).

Rediscover Chinese Music is brought to the United States as part of Image China, a cultural exchange program presented by China Arts and Entertainment Group. Image China introduces China’s traditional culture and contemporary award-winning art works to the world. Since its inception in 2009, many Image China productions have been performed at Lincoln Center in New York City and at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC., including the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Dance Academy: Butterfly Lovers, the dance-dramas Forbidden Fruit Under the Great Wall and Silk Road, The Peony Pavilion, Qingming Riverside, Wedding of Ordos, and The Red Dress. Image China proudly introduces Rediscover Chinese Music to U.S. audiences in December 2015.