NAGA Guqin Events For April 2006

It's April but still raining a lot. How dismal! The only thing we can do is find something interesting to make life happier. NAGA is pleased to announce two upcoming guqin events, and we are honored to have a distinguished keynote speaker at each yaji.

1.    Potluck with visiting qin player Yip Mingmei on this coming Sunday April 9^th.

2.    Monthly yaji with bilingual writer Annie Wang on Saturday April 22nd.

Sunday April 9^th: Yaji with Yip Mingmei

NAGA will host a potluck gathering this Sunday April 9^th at 6:00 at the Union City Library. We can discuss qin, music, culture related issues during the pot luck instead of in a restaurant. Afterwards there will be a yaji during which attendees will play the qin. We are pleased to announce that Mingmei Yip is to visit the Bay Area and will join us. She will also give a talk on “Women Qin Players from the Han to the Present.” This topic will augment NAGA's past presentations on Cai Wenji and Li Qingzhao and will be a fitting prelude to future topics on Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru; Lu You and Tang Wan etc. Mingmei Yip got her Ph.D in musicology from the University of Paris. She was a student of Tsar Teh Yun (Cai Deyun) and has been playing for over thirty years. She has also published two books and numerous articles on this subject. Her other research area is Buddhist chant. Mingmei Yip is also an author and painter.

For the potluck please bring your specialty, so we can see your cooking talent as well as your qin playing talent. Since very short notice has been given for this event, if you don't have time to cook, just grab some food at a restaurant or store. Please note, there are no facilities at the library for preparing or heating dishes. Ready-to-eat fare will work best. If anyone wishes to attend this yaji, please inform us in advance at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/byajilist.html

Time: 6:00 pm, Sunday, April 9th

Place: Union City Library

Union City Library

34007 Alvarado-Niles Road
Union City, CA

For directions: For directions click here

Saturday, April 22^nd: Yaji with Annie Wang

Please join the North American Guqin Association (NAGA) for our regular monthly yaji on Saturday, April 22nd at 2:00 pm at the Fremont Main Library. The headache of tax return time will be over on the 22nd! Let's relax and get together with qin friends, to play the qin , chat about the qin , meet qin friends face to face instead of online, listen to qin music by different players, probably from different teachers or schools, play instruments made by various qin makers, and exchange information on the qin .

The diversity of events and exciting presentations at recent yajis has proven that we are capable of exploring other Chinese arts as well as the qin culture and history from which guqin music flows. NAGA will do its best to invite talented guests to join our monthly yajis to give talks. There is a possibility that at this yaji we will have the honor of having Annie Wang, author of The People's Republic of Desire , as our keynote speaker. If her scheduled tour of book signings doesn't prevent her attendance, she will talk about life in a changing China . Annie is one of the few Chinese born authors who write and get published in English. She has written over 10 books in Chinese and 2 books in English. She is also a sister of NAGA director Wang Fei. For more detail about Annie Wang and her new book signing tour please visit her web site at http://www.anniewang.com .

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN GUQIN AND TABLE for group practice. We encourage members to join in the practice sessions by playing the qin, singing, or giving us feedback on our ever evolving English versions of qin songs.

The qin gathering is open to anyone interested in guqin music. Players of other instruments are especially welcome. If you plan to attend or play something, please sign up and submit your program by clicking http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/byajilist.html. Letting us know in advance gives you priority for inclusion into the event schedule.

Time: 2:00 pm, Saturday, April 22nd

Place: Fremont Main Library

Fukaya A room (turn right at main entrance)

2400 Stevenson Blvd. (at Civic Center Drive)

Fremont, CA

Please click for directions

This time we won't gather for dinner due to an evening guzheng concert by the local famous guzheng player Liu Weishan. She will play guqin pieces on the guzheng . NAGA members might be interested in attending. Please see details at http://www.guzheng.org .

A report on the March yaji, including photographs, is available online at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/newsletter.html.

If you have any questions, please contact Fred Pohlmann at 831-338-2488 or email him at pohlmann@guqin.org.

North American Guqin Association

http://www.guqin.org/