- Valparaiso University Chamber Orchestra tours China
Valparaiso University orchestra members performed Saturday, May 28, at the Nanhu Concert Hall, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. The Valparaiso University Chamber Orchestra performed in several cities across China during its first Asian tour from May 19 to 30. The 26 orchestra members performed a variety of music for audiences in Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Shanghai.
The ensemble, conducted by Dennis Friesen-Carper, professor of music at Valpo, performed music from three sets, with standard European works by Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Vaughan Williams and American works by Copland, Gershwin, and two Valpo student composers. Chinese works were also part of the performance, including the Sichuan folk melody “Kangding Love Song,” “Big News from Beijing,” and a feature for erhu (two-stringed lap fiddle) with orchestra “Meng Feng,” which the composer translates as “Mongolian Fantasy.”
Two Valpo composition majors wrote original music featuring Chinese musical influences. Sean Wixted’s “Sun Saga,” for chamber orchestra with saxophone, based on an ancient legend about solar cycles, was premiered in Jiaxing and Shanghai; and “Orchid Dreams” for flute, viola, and harp was written by Zane Winter and premiered in Beijing and Nanjing.
Friesen-Carper said a highlight of the trip was the collaboration with student performers in every concert.
“One of the most memorable parts of the experience was the interaction with high school and college students,” said Friesen-Carper. “For example, at the Beijing China Conservatory and Nanjing Institute of the Arts, bamboo flute, dulcimer, zither, erhu, and pipa (pear-shaped lute) players joined the orchestra for our Chinese works, and a talented student from Nanjing then traveled with us as erhu soloist.”
While in China, the group visited many of the iconic landmarks of China, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tibetan Lama Temple, Beijing Opera, Hangzhou’s Lingyin Buddhist temple, and the Yellow Mountains of Anhui province.
“As more and more students from China are coming to Valpo for both graduate and undergraduate education, American students are taking advantage of our University connections for travel and work opportunities in China,” said Friesen-Carper. “The positive interactions around the shared joys of music will help build a foundation for international understanding and healthy cooperation.”