FROM TORONTO TO CHINA: CONTEMPORARY MUSIC MEETSTRADITIONAL CHINESE INSTRUMENTS
SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 8PM AT ALLIANCE FRANCAISE THEATRE
TORONTO, ON — Spectrum Music and Toronto Composers Collective present the world premiere of NO PLACE LIKE HOME, featuring an award-winning all-female musical trio from the Toronto Chinese Orchestra, playing seven pieces that tell stories of home, identity and roots. Spectrum composers, using traditional Chinese instruments, have created distinctly Canadian repertoire that reflects individual stories of origin. NO PLACE LIKE HOME will be presented on Saturday, June 2, at 8pm at Alliance Francaise Theatre.
Home can mean two things, either a place in which people reside, or something that resides within. Spectrum composers have envisioned the meaning of home through the lens of traditional Chinese instruments, with a distinctly Canadian repertoire. These seven original pieces will represent different aspects of home, using unique Chinese instruments, original sound and visual art.
The female musical trio includes Patty Chan on the Erhu (Chinese Fiddle), Di Zhang on the Yangqin (Chinese Dulcimer), and Cynthia Zimen Qin on the Gu Zheng (Chinese Harp).
Patty Chan is the Music Director of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra. As part of the Chinese diaspora, Patty is actively encouraging new Canadian compositions to be written for Chinese instruments and ensembles. She has collaborated with many ensembles and organizations, including the Orpheus Choir, the Strings of St. John, Red Snow Collective, the Toronto Masque Theatre, and Tapestry Opera. In May 2013, she performed in the world premiere of “The Lesson of Da Ji”, which won the Dora Mavor Moore award for “Outstanding New Musical/Opera”. In 2011, Patty published “Playing Erhu – Bridging the Gap”, the world’s first erhu instruction book in English which has been sold in over 30 countries.
Di Zhang has won numerous awards, including the top award for dulcimer performance at the first ICAF national instrument contest (Singapore 2010) and the “Hua Yi Award” for best musical performance (Macao 2005). Di moved to Toronto in 2012, and became the principal of the plucked-string section with the Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO). Di also performs regularly with the Toronto YueFang and Melody of Bamboo Ensemble and was featured on Chinese drums at The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. In 2014, Di performed yangqin and Chinese drum at the CBCGlenn Gould Studio, presented by Canadian Sinfonietta.
Cynthia Ziwen Qin is well-known in Toronto for her musical performance on the guzheng. She started learning music at age seven and graduated from the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Cynthia has performed at many key concerts and events, including the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Tickets for Spectrum Music NO PLACE LIKE HOME are $20 general / $15 student at the door, and $15 / $10 student in advance. You can purchase tickets online HERE.
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ABOUT SPECTRUM MUSIC:
Spectrum Music is a group of young musical visionaries who break down the barriers between genres, cultures, art and entertainment. They create a revolutionary concert series where jazz, classical, pop, and world music come together. Spectrum’s concert programs are made of up world premieres composed specifically for our concerts. These adventurous, innovative, and fun new works are brought to life by a rotating cast of Toronto’s best emerging and established performers from diverse genres.
Spectrum strives to show audiences that music is neither a trivial diversion nor an ostentatious luxury, but a basic human need. We do this through themed concerts, where music is used to explore the world around us. Since 2010, we have been creating new music concerts that are relatable and accessible to all. For more details on Spectrum Music go to www.spectrummusic.ca