The Guangdong National Orchestra of China, performing September 9 – 13 in San Francisco and Seattle (PRNewsFoto/China Arts and Entertainment)
This coming September 9 – 13, the Guangdong National Orchestra of China (GNOC) will make its U.S. debut in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s West Coast visit. Building on the spirit of cultural exchange embodied in the U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange program, the GNOC will perform two concerts in San Francisco as well as Seattle. The concert series is presented as a part of the third annual West Coast “Across the Pacific China Arts Festival” by the China Arts and Entertainment Group, affiliated with China’s Ministry of Culture.
“The China Arts and Entertainment Group is honored to present the Guangdong National Orchestra along with a brand-new performance of traditional Chinese music to an American audience for the first time,” said Li Jin, vice president of the China Arts and Entertainment Group. “In the spirit of cooperation and friendship between China and the United States, we look forward to the opportunity to partner with two important West Coast cities and their communities to promote this important cultural exchange.”
Coinciding with the traditional Chinese Moon Festival, GNOC will make its U.S. debut by bringing a brand new storytelling cycle – the Silk Road Melody – to Seattle. Blending experiences of traditional Cantonese music and a world tour, GNOC has integrated western musical instruments into this musical epic to create a one-of-a-kind aural experience for American audiences. This new program, Silk Road Melody, was composed by Chinese composer Zhao Jiping, who is well known for writing the scores for such films as Farewell, My Concubine and Red Sorghum, and as part of Yo-yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.
“I am overjoyed to be able to share the history and beautiful music of southern China with a western audience,” said Mr. Zhao. “Through the Silk Road Melody program, as performed by such a talented and dedicated group of musicians, I hope to be able to create greater understanding of our traditions and heritage. This is one more step toward making people-to-people connections between China and the United States.”
To help promote this important cultural exchange, the China Arts and Entertainment Group also launched a contest to help tap into local Chinese musical talents and encourage cross-cultural creativity. By submitting a video of themselves singing or playing a song combining Chinese and western elements, participants are eligible to win a round trip ticket to China including hotel accommodation for four days in Guangzhou, and the opportunity to perform live on the opening night of the performance in either San Francisco or Seattle.
About the Guangdong National Orchestra of China
Founded in 1949, the Guangdong National Orchestra of China (GNOC) is among the elite national Chinese folk music performance groups. One of the most influential orchestras in China, GNOC has inherited Cantonese-style folk music, and has been dedicated to helping develop and promote it throughout its 67-year history. Most of the orchestra’s 70 musicians are from the Cantonese region, and their deep love and understanding for Cantonese music make them the best and strongest spokespersons for their own cultural heritage.
Not only is the GNOC successfully spreading Cantonese music across China, but over the years they have also brought their performances to a number of other countries, including Singapore, Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
About the China Arts and Entertainment Group
The China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) is the largest company of its kind in China in the entertainment and arts exhibition field. CAEG was founded in 2004 with the merger of the China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA) and the China International Exhibition Agency (CIEA). The two agencies are China’s largest suppliers and operators of Chinese performing arts and art exhibitions around the globe. For more than 50 years, CPAA and CIEA have accumulated rich experience and cultivated an excellent reputation by taking on thousands of governmental cultural exchange projects and commercial stage performances.
CAEG has successfully organized the staging of many classic musicals, including “CATS,” “MAMMA MIA!” and the Irish tap extravaganza “Riverdance,” which were warmly received by domestic audiences.