Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble
Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble
“Performing on exquisite Chinese instruments, this ensemble combines technical mastery with a passionate approach to music …a torrid performance of considerable virtuosity.” – The Georgia Straight (Vancouver, Canada)
Established in 1989, the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble is the finest professional Chinese music ensemble in Canada. For their first appearance, the group was invited to perform for the Governor General’s Concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. Since then, they have performed in hundreds of concerts across Canada and the United States.
Each member is a highly accomplished instrumentalist and interpreter of traditional and contemporary music. Performed in a variety of combinations, their instruments include erhu (Chinese violin), dizi (Chinese flute), pipa (Chinese lute), yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), zheng (Chinese harp), and ruan (Chinese guitar).
The Ensemble has worked with various composers, including Zhuo Rui-Shi who wrote three pieces that were premiered in 1999. This versatile group embraces the popular and the classical traditions of China as well as western classical and contemporary music performed on Chinese instruments. The ensemble’s broad repertoire encompasses traditional music from various regions of China, adaptations of Canadian folk songs and other music, as well as contemporary composition. In addition to self-produced concert presentations, the ensemble has performed at numerous folk music festivals, including those in Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg and its performances have been broadcast on radio and television.
Through these means and by constantly exploring new fields, the Ensemble is able to reach and educate a broad audience and help bring these ancient Chinese instruments into the mainstream.
Recordings:
New Frontiers (2006, VCIMS)
Transplanted Purple Bamboo (2000, Purple Bamboo Records)