NAGA-June 2003 Newsletter

Highlights
-Wang Fei's guqin music is on the "Music of the World" Audio CD
-the current state of the guqin market
-Upcoming guqin events

Dear qin friends,

A number of guqin-related events are planned for 2003 in various parts of the world. In addition, new recordings have been made that involve the guqin, and extended ranges of guqins, books, recordings etc. are becoming widely available.

1. First of all Wang Fei’s performance of the guqin piece “Flowing Water” is on the “Music of the World" Audio CD Program for American 6-12 graders, published in 2003 by American Harcourt Education Company HRW (Holt, Rinehart and Winston), ISBN: 0-03-0654416-6. This program introduces world music. The audio CD has 24 tracks, each containing music from a different country. "Flowing Water" represents the music of China. It is accompanied by a Teacher's Guide which provides written notes on the music and culture and review questions. It can be found on HRW's online catalog under the Geography category at http://www.hrw.com.

2. We are heartened to see that many more new models of guqin are available from a number of makers from various schools and regions than was the case a few years ago. Many fine quality new guqins are being produced. Many guqin players have started to use newly made instruments instead of the antique ones they used before for guqin recordings, yajis and concerts. During our online guqin concerts last year at http://www.unn.com.cn/guqin/home.htm, Li Xiangting, Wu Zhao, Chen Changlin and others all used new instruments made by various makers.

Many guqin new CDs, books and videos have been published in recent years, and many out of print guqin CDs, books and videos have been reprinted. They are available both in China and overseas. The print quality and binding are much better than in the original editions.

Please see the list of guqins at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/instruments/guqinlist.html and the list of CDs, books and videos at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/instruments/qincds.htm offered by our sponsor www.beijingers.com. You will be able to see the current state of the guqin market.

3. NAGA advisers will take part in the following international guqin events in this summer and fall:

-- Professor Li Xiangting is to give two guqin concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival, an internationally known music festival. For this year's China program, the president of the festival went to China to select the program.  At first, he seemed unable to find what he needed to represent the music of China among the official candidates submitted by the China Culture Department, and he almost gave up. Finally he heard Professor Li's guqin radio program by chance, and felt he had at last found what he was looking for.

Prof. Li's guqin concerts will be the only China program in this year's festival.

Sunday, August 10th 2003 10:00am – 4:00pm, as part of "Connecting Cultures Study Day" - a series of lectures with interactive musical activities on the traditional music of China, Japan, Korea and India.

Monday August 11th 2003 10:30pm, as part of the "Connecting Cultures" concert series.  

Contact: Edinburgh International Festival,
The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE, UK.
Tel: +44 131 473 2001
Web site: http://www.eif.co.uk

-- A series of guqin concerts is to be held in Hong Kong by Hugo Productions this summer and fall. Performers include our advisers Li Xiangting, Wu Zhao and Chen Changlin as well as Zeng Chengwei and Li Fengyun. For details please see http://www.hugocd.com/hugo/showit.asp?topicID=2048&subject=express
The guqin CDs Hugo have recorded of these masters are well known both within China and overseas.

-- Guqin master Gong Yi of Shanghai and London based guqin player Cheng Yu of SOAS will give a three day series of workshops on guqin music at SOAS, University of London, UK. Guqin players of all levels of ability are welcome. There will be an opportunity for participants to perform their music on the final day.

July 14th, 15th & 16th 2003
Department of Music, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh St., Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Contact: +44 20 7898 4680 (SOAS), helen@amc.org.uk or +44 20 874 2 9911 (Asian Music Circuit)

 We hope we can enhance your enjoyment of the beauty of guqin music.

Yours sincerely,

North American Guqin Association

http://www.guqin.org