We're delighted to invite you to the final talk in our "Chinese instruments in focus" series. The series features three talks hosted by Po Hang Yuen, each focusing on a different instrument.
The last in our series is the guzheng. The talk will introduce writing for the guzheng. It will discuss how our guest reimagined the instrument’s musical tradition by integrating Chinese philosophies found in painting and ancient literature.
The guest for this talk will be Li Yang.
Li Yang is currently studying for a Masters in Performance Studies at the University of Manchester. She started learning the Guzheng at a young age. She works with composers, Chinese orchestras, Guzheng ensembles, Western chamber music, musical theatre, and rock bands. In 2013, she was admitted to the music School Attached to Xinghai Conservatory of Music with First Class Honours. In 2016, she was admitted to the Guzheng performance major of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. In 2022, she was admitted to the University of Sunderland to study Top-up in Music Performance, where she graduated with First Class Honours and received the“Sustainable Future Prize.”
Po Hang Yuen (Arthur) has earned degrees from University of Hong Kong, King’s College London, and Royal Northern College of Music, and is now pursuing his doctorate in Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Dance with Julian Anderson, Malcolm Singers and Raymond Yiu. Having studied composition for five years, Yuen received numerous commissions and collaborative opportunities from leading soloists and ensembles, including the Avanti Chamber, BBC Philharmonic, Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, Phace, Psappha, Sofia Philharmonic, and Trio Immersio. His piano trio Triptych has won the third prize in the professional section of the “The New Melodies” II International Composers Competition. The music was published by Dmitry Danilov Music Agency LLC and performed at the Whitehall of the Polytechnic Institute in St. Petersburg. Last July, Yuen’s Cosmic Embrace for large ensemble received its world premiere in Finland, as a part of the Avanti Summer Sounds Festival directed by Unsuk Chin.
About the public talk series
Manchester Confucius Institute public talks are free, informal and informative lectures aimed at anyone with an interest in Chinese culture and language.
