~ Tales of the Silk Road brought to life through the enchanting music of Pipa~

Distinguished Pipa master Zhang Hong-yan together with the Plucked-String Orchestra of China Central Conservatory of Music will make their Australian debut in Tales of the Silk Road: Pipa (Chinese Lute) and Percussion. There will be two concerts only at Sydney Opera House on Sunday 6 May and Melbourne Recital Centre on Tuesday 8 May 2018. 

Renowned as “an envoy from the orient” and “an incomparable music fairy”, Zhang is famous for her sentimental expression with merely a couple of plucks of the strings. With her Pipa, she has performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls in more than 30 countries. As a reputable music educator, she now takes the posts of professor and master’s supervisor of the China Central Conservatory of Music, the deputy director of the Department of Chinese Folk Music, and other reputable positions. Zhang is committed to exploring the fusion of Eastern and Western music and unearthing new possibilities of Chinese plucked strings.

Her exceptional artistry culminates in Tales of the Silk Road. Featuring folk songs along the Silk Road, contemporary Chinese music and Western classics variations, this concert showcases traditional Chinese instruments and gives audiences an unforgettable multi-dimensional artistic experience.

The Pipa (Chinese Lute) is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 26. Pipa may have existed in China as early as the Han dynasty (around 2nd century AD). As one of the most popular Chinese instruments, Pipa has been played for almost two thousand years in China.