Guqin and Calligraphy

NAGA January 12, 2007 Yaji Report

On Friday January 12th at the Union City Library the North American Guqin Association held its first yaji of 2007. We started off with a potluck and people clustered in numerous small groups. They were hungry for conversation as well as food. Visitor Yip Mingmei did an informative and artfully integrated presentation on the qin and calligraphy which included the playing of original compositions, calligraphy, poetry recitation, and a slide show. She elucidated comparisons between qin playing and calligraphy brush strokes. She emphasized the importance of space in calligraphic design and pointed out the importance of the use of lines in Chinese art, giving examples from different art forms including painting and dance. After the presentation NAGA members performed a variety of pieces. Kwan Wong did a masterful rendition of Ping Sha Luo Yan. Jiang Wenyu accompanied both his pieces with singing, indicating an expanding area of practice and competence. Qian Yaojun played an intriguing version of Yangguan San Die quite different from the one NAGA members know from Prof. Li's teaching manual. And Yip Mingmei closed the yaji with a moving original composition.

Program

Yip Mingmei – Meihua San Nong (Three Variations on the Plum Blossom Theme)   original piece to calligraphy of Dao De Jing by Geoffrey  Redmond   calligraphy and recitation of Su Dongbo's poem The Qin  presentation The Qin and Chinese Calligraphy Wu Ye Ti (Evening Call of the Raven)

Kwan Wong – Ping Sha Luo Yan (Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank)

Jiang Wenyu – Qiu Feng Ci (Song of the Autumn Wind) with singing

Qian Yaojun – Yangguan San Die (Three Variations on the Yang Pass                                                Theme)

Jiang Wenyu – Feng Qiu Huang (The Phoenix Woos His Mate) with singing

Kwan Wong – Ping Sha Luo Yan with Yip Mingmei performing taiji

Yip Mingmei – original composition sung with Immortals of the Magpie                                               Bridge lyrics

List of attendees

Jiang Wenyu	Vivien Hsu	Kwan Wong	Yip Mingmei
Pat Wong	Yao-ching Hsu	Yaojun Qian	Geoffrey Redmond
Jennifer Yeh	Dr. Sanford Tom	Paul Neal	Fred Pohlmann
Eliot Greenleaf

NAGA is staffed entirely by volunteers and accepts donations to help with its efforts to bring the art of the guqin and related aspects of Chinese culture to the general public. NAGA currently has a limited number of gift items for donors. For full details and to donate go to:

Acknowledgements

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Reporter: Fred Pohlmann

Editor: Julian Joseph

North American Guqin Association

http://www.guqin.org/